In The Flesh
by TheReaperCometh
Summary: To regain a fraction of his humanity, Ainz attempts to create a spell capable of countering his emotion suppressor: but the incantation is more potent than expected, and Suzuki Satoru finds himself irreversibly restored, in the flesh! As more and more people find out and misinterpret the transformation's purpose, will Ainz be able to uphold his façade as the incorrigible Overlord?
1. Chapter 1

**In The Flesh**

**TheReaperCometh**

**Chapter 1: "Humanity Restored"**

**POV Ainz**

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Even though I've been playing the role of a peerless ruler for quite some time now, there are still some things I'll never get used to… things that make the proverbial heart of this undead salaryman race anxiously.

Things like this:

"We pledge ourselves wholeheartedly to the Supreme One, and humbly present ourselves before him in answer to his call!" six prostrating individuals cry out in unison. They are of course the floor guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

You'd think I'd be acclimated to my circumstances at this point, but, well... what can I say? The transition from low-class salaryman to Supreme Overlord is a big one...

"Hmm. You have all done well to gather so quickly," I commend in a deep, authoritative tone.

"We are unworthy of such kind words, Ainz-sama. It is our duty to answer your call immediately, no matter the time or place," Albedo states promptly, her head lowered.

"Rise," I command from atop my ornate throne in one of my most practiced regal poses - sitting position #13. Back and neck, perfectly straight; arms, resting firmly and flatly on each armrest; and finally, my legs, which, spread at a forty-five-degree angle, exude the perfect amount of confidence and masculinity without seeming boorish. Well, at least, that's the conclusion I came to after looking myself over in my bedroom's mirror so many times.

The floor guardians all stand up without so much as a sound, save for the quiet _hiss _of a small expulsion of cold air from Cocytus.

"Aura," I address the androgynous dark elf first. She immediately straightens up upon hearing her name called, bringing a hand to her forehead in salute.

"Yes, Ainz-sama!" she replies enthusiastically.

If I had the capacity to do so, I would surely smile every time Aura spoke: her devilish grin coupled with her energetic voice is a dangerously infectious combination. Although now that I think about it, I guess I'm always smiling, thanks to my skeletal face... Ah, I'm getting lost in thought, she's awaiting my answer.

"How is your mission going? Has there been any success in either task?" I inquire.

"Weeell… ehehe… not yet, Ainz-sama, we're still in the… adjustment phase of things, as the beasts get acquainted with each other. My pets are only just now learning to stop cannibalizing their new friends…" she admits embarrassedly, scratching the back of her head.

It's to be expected, I suppose. The mission I had assigned to Aura was very experimental, and I knew from the very beginning that it would take a while to reap some, if any, results. The first task I entrusted to her was to capture a number of New World beasts identical to those within her collection from Yggdrasil. Aura has hundreds of magical beasts, both rare and common ones, readily at her disposal: naturally, finding some of the same species within the New World was inevitable.

The primary reason for having Aura do so, among others, is because I wanted to experiment with the leveling rate of this new world. There is such a vast discrepancy between the levels of creatures in Yggdrasil and the ones in this world, and I've been dying to find out why. Is it because creatures of this world have significantly lower level caps than those in Yggdrasil? Is it because the rate at which they level up is much slower? Is it possible for a creature from the new world to even reach level 60 or higher? The most powerful creatures we've encountered so far in this world were the frost dragons, and even then the most powerful among them was only a paltry level 50. A handful of my middle-tier undead summons could've defeated him.

Incidentally, there are beasts from Yggdrasil within Aura's collection that have low-level caps, mainly because they were intended to be fought by low-level players to gain experience points. For instance, within Aura's collection is a large handful of creatures known as Manglyan Sheep, a lizard-tailed sheep with 3 eyes that can use first-tier lighting attacks; they commonly spawned in fields on the outskirts of low-level cities and villages. They have a level cap of 25, meaning that no matter where you searched in any of the 9 worlds, (well it was only native to 3, but that's beside the point), you would never find a Manglyan sheep with a level higher than 25. Although, their levels could be raised beyond their limit if they were summoned, or buffed by a spell or cash-shop item. But no competent player would ever expend mana or real money to boost a Manglyan Sheep: that would be a monumental waste. But because of the existence of level caps, and the fact that many weaker creatures from Yggdrasil are birthed into the world at very low levels, we can accurately judge the difference between the leveling rates and level caps of New World creatures with their Yggdrasil counterparts. Ah, I went on an inner monologue again, I must respond to Aura.

"Hmmm, that is somewhat disappointing," I muse.

"I am very sorry, Ainz-sama!" Aura apologizes in a regretful tone, bowing her head shamefully.

I raise a hand in response.

"It is not your fault. I did not expect any results this soon: I misspoke when I said I was disappointed, please forgive me and ignore that comment".

"Understood! But please, don't apologize Ainz-sama! There is no way a being such as yourself could misspeak anyway!" she assures in her typically cheerful tone.

I feel my anxiety levels skyrocket after hearing her last comment; luckily, my emotion suppressor kicks in, quickly curbing my distress.

"Ahem, right... anyway..." I trail off awkwardly, coughing into my hand.

Oh right, I've been meaning to ask her how many species she's been able to capture so far. Last I checked, she had captured around... 21?

"Aura, how many different species have you been able to gather for this experiment?"

"32, Ainz-sama. Would you like to go over each one in detail?" she asks, her eyes brimming with excitement. As a fellow collector, I can relate to her desire to discuss her passion.

However, 32 species… that gives us more than enough different test subjects for accurate results.

"Not right now Aura, there are other things to discuss. However, you have done very well to gather so many beasts: I am pleased," I commend with a nod of satisfaction.

My heart lurches as I see, from my rejection of her proposal, the glimmer of excitement in Aura's eyes vanish while her ears droop ever-so-slightly.

Ahhh, I can't bear such a disappointed look!

"Er, but I would be happy to join you for a while tomorrow in order to learn about all of your pets, Aura," I quickly add, letting out a sigh of relief once I notice her ears perk up again.

"Understood, Ainz-sama! I will be looking forward to it!"

"I see. Well, keep at it, Aura. I have the utmost faith in your abilities," I respond conclusively.

"I will do my best to meet your expectations!" she exclaims resolutely with a bow.

Alright, now that that's been addressed, the next thing to discuss would be... ah, I almost forgot!

"Incidentally, Aura, how is the Lizardmen's martial-arts training with Hamusuke and the death knight progressing?" I inquire.

Expecting another embarrassed reply, I'm surprised to instead be met with an expression teeming with satisfaction. I raise a nonexistent eyebrow.

"Right! As it turns out, Ainz-sama, the Lizardmen say they've noticed an improvement in Hamusuke's performance, and that he's reportedly learned a simplified version of 'physical boost'!" she explains happily.

"Hoh?" I shift in my seat, leaning forward earnestly; "have you seen it with your own eyes, Aura?" I press in a nonchalant tone, befitting of a supreme ruler.

But on the inside… I'm very excited! This is great news! The Lizardmen had claimed Hamusuke performed a 'vertical slash' martial art when the Empire's workers had invaded Nazarick… but I was skeptical as it appeared discouragingly similar to any other normal attack Hamusuke could do. However, a skill like 'physical boost' can easily be tested for with a simple stat measurement before and after its activation.

"I apologize, Ainz-sama, I have not had the chance to witness it myself," she replies solemnly.

"I see. Well, no need to apologize, you've been working diligently. When next you decide to check in on Hamusuke's training, tell Zenberu and Zaryusu that I am pleased, and that I would like a report of Hamusuke's progress drawn up. Ah, but no need to do so right away, it is not very high on the priority list. I do not need a report immediately," I add unequivocally.

"I will do so immediately, Ainz-sama!" she assures, despite what I said.

Sigh. No matter how hard I try to emphasize its unimportance, any request I make is immediately treated as a matter of utmost significance.

"R-right. Ahem. Keep working hard for me then, Aura," I say with a nod before directing my attention to the well-tailored demon before me.

"Demiurge, how goes…"

I lean forward and lower my gaze at him:

"-that matter?"

Demiurge leans forward as well, pushing up on his glasses with a sly smile.

"And by 'that matter', I presume you mean, THAT matter, Ainz-sama?"

As always, I'm clueless as to what Demiurge is doing. I somehow managed to make it through the entire Holy Kingdom fiasco while maintaining an omnipotent, knowledgeable position: but now that it's mostly over, I feel completely left in the dark again.

"Y-yes," I nod affirmatively: "yes, that matter we discussed… the one with the thing..." I trail off, hoping to elicit some form of elaboration from him.

"Yes," he responds plainly, still with a knowing smile.

"... and that other thing..!" I continue ambiguously.

"It is as you say, Ainz-sama!"

Time and time again, I'm astounded that someone of Demiurge's intellect has yet to catch on that I actually almost never have any idea what he's talking about. Of course, I can't say that, or admit ignorance - that would tarnish the image of a supreme ruler I have worked so hard to cultivate. As usual, I'll just have to give another vague response that will somehow allude to my complete understanding of the matter.

"Well given the circumstances of that thing, Demiurge, I trust you now understand what needs to be done?" I bluff. Demiurge is silent for only a moment.

"Amazing, Ainz-sama, I hadn't thought of that! I am humbled once again by your insight!"

Thought of what?!

"Demiurge, it seems we are on the same page now. Proceed as planned".

"As you wish, Ainz-sama!" he affirms with a bow.

And now, the final order of business before I can give Suzuki Satoru a break.

"Albedo".

"Yes, Aiiiiiinz-sama?" She inquires in a loving tone, her wings fluttering passionately. In the corner of my eye, I see Shalltear grimace.

"How are things proceeding with Jircniv? How go the military arrangements?"

"Very well, Ainz-sama. Despite some minor protests from soldiers and commonfolk, Jircniv has been most accommodating and things have been going smoothly. The active implementation of Nazarick's forces within the Baharuth Empire and its borders is well underway".

"Excellent. Now that that triviality is taken care of, complete subjugation is assured: Albedo, I would like you to try and introduce runecraft technology to the Empire. It was in my opinion, that you could go to the capital's gladiator arena and equip a strong looking warrior with this-" I reach into my pocket dimension and withdraw a steel longsword with two runes etched into it: one of the dwarves' latest successes with which I am most pleased.

By Yggdrasil standards, its runic enchantments are very low quality - a simple reinforcement rune to increase its durability and sharpness, and a low-tier fire rune, which allows the blade to magically catch flame and inflict a small amount of fire damage. However, considering the fact that not so long ago, runecraft was considered a long-forgotten and useless art, the fact that the dwarves are now able to inscribe two runes to a single object is a phenomenal achievement.

"The coliseum is a very popular attraction," I continue, a bit hesitant, as I always am when I'm about to divulge the reasoning behind my actions to the guardians - particularly to Albedo and Demiurge.

"Thousands of people - from commoners to nobles, hailing from a wide range of countries, will see the glory of our runecraft weapons on full display. Word will spread on an international level: especially if our chosen warrior becomes champion. Naturally, a demand for runecraft weapons will be created, and we will acquire a new means to financially support our endeavours. Of course, if it reaches that stage, we will withhold any powerful - by our standards - armaments that could potentially pose a threat to Nazarick, and we would also withhold all information regarding the development and production of runic technology. Since we have effectively monopolized the dwarves' services, no other country should be able to replicate it - this will ensure that a constant demand for our products is maintained. Competition for runic weapons and armor between countries wanting to gain the upper hand over one another is sure to blossom as well".

I take a moment to pause.

Uwahhhh, they're all staring at me so intently! If I was biologically capable, I would've surely gulped audibly.

"By selling off runic equipment to various nations, it will not only serve as an abundant source of income for Nazarick, it will also present us in a better light on an international scale - the Sorcerer Kingdom will be known as a generous and technologically advanced land. Particularly, I expect this will greatly influence the Holy Kingdom's perspective of us in a positive way. Most of their denizens remain skeptical because of our kingdom's largely undead nature - but since they have recently faced a national catastrophe at the hands of Jaldabaoth, many of the citizens and nobles remain fearful and paranoid. Therefore, if the gracious Sorcerous Kingdom were to sell them - or even donate - runic equipment, how do you think our status would change in the eyes of their people?" I conclude.

Phew. At least this is a plan I - as Suzuki Satoru - has some confidence in! I was a salaryman in real life, so business plans concerning 'supply and demand' and advertising are my forte. Still… I gave such a long-winded explanation, I hope I didn't mess up. My emotion suppressor even had to kick in about halfway through... I felt like I was delivering a pitch to my boss and coworkers at a conference. Ahhh, how scary!

I'm met with an unnerving silence for a few moments before I notice Albedo begin to shudder violently, and I start to panic. Was my plan so bad that it made her upset to the point of feeling physically ill?!

"Er, of course," I stammer, trying to save face: "if you don't believe that that is an appropriate course of action, I am open to-"

"Amazing, Ainz-sama!" Albedo pants out, a fierce blush gracing her ivory features.

"Eh?" I mutter out by accident in astonishment.

"Ainz-sama!" Another loud voice cries out. I turn to face the source of the sound, and my jaw drops at the sight of Demiurge, with his forehead pressed to the ground.

"You have once again deepened my belief that you truly are the incarnation of wisdom, Ainz-sama! And to think I foolishly considered myself even a fraction as intelligent as you!" Demiurge shouts.

If I came up with it, it can't be that good of a plan, can it?!

"I-is that so? Thank you for your praise. Although there is no need to hold such an inflated opinion of me - you and Albedo are both my equals in terms of intellect".

And even that is a lie! I feel so guilty! But it can't be helped. This was a perfect opportunity to play to my strengths and come off as an ingenious ruler. It seems to have worked, but I'm still embarrassed.

"What are you saying, Ainz-sama?! Albedo and I are far inferior to you in all respects!"

I look to Albedo, who unfortunately nods emphatically.

"What he says is the truth, Ainz-sama! Please, do not insult yourself by comparing yourself to our standards!"

"Ainz-sama. truly. is. the. only. one. who. deserves. the. title. of. supreme. ruler. of. Nazarick." Cocytus chimes in with a gruff voice. At this statement, the other five guardians nod happily.

Why do they always have to say stuff like that?! Only by the clemency of my emotion suppressor am I finally able to clamp my gaping jaw shut and take a deep breath.

"I-I see. Ahem, well, to conclude my earlier explanation - should my plan prove successful, I would like to open up runic equipment shops in the capital cities of all countries we have come into contact with. I will have CZ talk with Neia Baraja and ask her to scope out prospective venues. Lupusregina will handle Carne village. Albedo, Demiurge," I address the two individuals, who both nod with bewildered expressions of anticipation for their impending orders: "when the time is right, I will count on you two to find suitable shops within the cities of Re-Estize and The Empire, respectively".

CZ has a positive public image and connection to Neia within the Holy Kingdom. Albedo is the leading mediator and prime minister representative of Nazarick in the Empire. Lupusregina, is of course a trusted and well-liked figure in Carne village - though it could almost be considered a city now, as it continues to grow in both population and size at an unprecedented rate.

"Understood, Ainz-sama," Albedo and Demiurge reply with a bow.

I may just be getting the hang of this supreme ruler schtick after all!

"Good, now: everyone, continue to serve Nazarick wholeheartedly. Dismissed!" I decree, swinging my arm in a dramatic slicing motion parallel to the ground.

"We will, Ainz-sama!" 6 resounding voices shout out.

I activate the Ring of Ainz-Ooal Gown, teleporting myself to a poorly lit sleeping chamber.

My room.

Ah, that was exhausting! I look into the ornate mirror against the eastern wall and stare at my skeletal reflection, causing me to bring a bony hand up to rub my cheekbone. Man, how I sometimes wish I could've retained my humanity - To be able to feel physically tired one more time - to be able to sleep again, and wake up with morning breath. To be able to eat food again, revel in my emotions, and remain giddy for longer than this stupid emotion suppressor will permit. To be able to properly enjoy a bath!

But no, it is wrong to condemn my inhumanity: I would have lost face long ago without it. But still, in this body bereft of flesh, the essence of Suzuki Satoru yearns for the things that only the living are afforded.

I turn to my bed longingly. If only I could faceplant into it, relish in its silky texture against my flesh and just fall into a catatonic state for 12 hours. Imagine how worried the guardians would be at that - they would likely think I had succumbed to the effects of an enemy spell...

Ah, all these thoughts have reminded me:

I reach into my pocket dimension and withdraw a private journal of mine. A little something I've been writing in now and again since I found myself in this new world. Aside from using it to note down the things I learned about the new world and how to behave as a supreme ruler, I've recently found myself reaching for it more and more often for the sake of documenting personal research - magical research, of course. With the entirety of Nazarick's library at my disposal, as well as my own - not to toot my own horn, but - extensive magical knowledge, I've been able to entertain the ideas of creating my own unique spells.

Now that I'm essentially uninhibited by any sort of constraints or limitations that had been in Yggdrasil, it isn't an impossible feat. Ironically enough, a lot of the content in Yggdrasil's books pertaining to magic was mostly useless before. After all, they were just books generated in the world for the purpose of making the game seem more realistic, or in some cases, granting skills or spells. Of course, players, myself included, never actually read any of the books - allowing a player to learn a spell or skill at their own pace based on their own understanding of the information would be far too complicated for a game to allow for. As such, so long as a player met the necessary level and job/class requirements, they could simply click 'read' on the book item in their inventory and instantly learn its relevant contained data. But in this new world, the information they contain can actually be applied to reality.

And recently, I've been trying to create a spell that could counter my emotion suppressor. I've summoned many skeletons over the past few days to use as guinea pigs, but it's had no effect on any of them. I was about to give up on this selfish pursuit, when last night I came across an interesting bit of information regarding the manipulation of mana while I was studying "The First Wizard, Belumias": a book documenting the first known wizard's accomplishments - how he came to understand 'mana' and create the very first spells. This was just a useless book in Yggdrasil, as its sole purpose was to generate a modicum of world-building lore: but now it's one of my most coveted resources.

Now my spell, which I have decided to call [Greater Elicit Emotion], is nearly complete.

Should I try it on myself now? Or would that be too risky?

Ah, they always say that fortune favors the bold! And besides, I've gone so long without being able to feel human, perhaps it would be good for my sanity to indulge myself a little bit.

Besides, what's the worst that could happen? Nothing terrible has happened to any of the lower-tier undead that I've experimented on… well, except for that one skeleton the other day who spontaneously bludgeoned itself to death after I had cast the spell… maybe because it had actually worked and it couldn't handle its newfound emotions? But that's irrelevant! It won't have nearly as dramatic an effect on me, as someone who had emotions in the past and still does to a limited extent. Plus, I'd like to think that skeleton was an exception, and ultimately just serves as a testament to the spell's potency.

To think, I could create a spell!

With a profound sense of pride for my accomplishment, I raise both arms above my head in preparation to invoke my spell.

Time to see if these last three weeks have paid off! It would've taken even longer, had I been any species that wasn't undead, as that allowed me to work many extra tireless hours in research during the night.

With a booming voice, I cry out triumphantly: "[Greater Elicit Emotion]!"

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Nothing.

Nothing?!

I check my mana reserves. Well, the incantation seems to have gone through, as it still depleted some of my reserves… more than expected, in fact. But I don't feel any different. I suppose I need more research… or maybe, it's just impossible to counter an innate species trait? No, I can't give up so easily. Like Ulbert-san once told me, there truly is a spell for everything.

Or maybe it did work? There's only one way to find out.

I start to think about things that stress me out the most.

I think of how I, a simple salaryman, have been thrust into a world where I must act as an omnipotent ruler.

How I'm always playing catch up with Demiurge's plans.

The fear I have for the day when my facade is exposed in front of all the guardians, and they shun me.

The fear I have that I may be the only player in this entire world.

...

Ahhhh I'm so stressed out now! The emotion suppressor should be kicking in by now!

I wait, allowing myself to dwell on those terrifying topics for a bit longer.

10 seconds pass.

20 seconds.

30 seconds.

The emotion suppressor didn't kick in! I'm still concerningly stressed out! Hooray!

The spell has worked! Hahahaha… ah...oh God, I want to curl up in a ball and die, this anxiety is crushing! Why did I choose such a displeasing emotion to focus on to test this!? Well, now that I know it works, I suppose I can dispel the effects now. Since [Greater Elicit Emotion] is essentially just a status effect infliction, it should be easily removed with a simple dispel.

I extend both hands outwards.

"[Dispel]!" I shout, casting the third tier spell. Hmm, I'm still feeling anxious, perhaps it wasn't potent enough.

"[Greater Dispel]!"

…

Nothing?! Perhaps the effect of [Greater Elicit Emotion] falls under a different category of status effect that isn't covered by those spells. I suppose I have no choice but to go through my repertoire of spells and try every relevant one I can think of. Ah, what a waste of mana, I chide myself.

"[Negation]!"

"[Greater Negation]!"

"[Remove Status]!"

Hmm… My eyes narrow. I'll have to use some higher tier debuff spells. Thank God I had specialized as a jack-of-all-trades 'Wildcard' character, and thus have a lot of options to try. But rather than waste any more time or mana than I need to, I should probably just use the most powerful ones at my disposal.

"[Status Counter]!"

"[Imperil]!"

"[Full Break]!"

...

Ahhhhhhh none of them are working! Perhaps it requires more specialized spells? I hesitantly raise both arms once more, praying that one of them will work. Please please please please please please.

"[Full reset]!"

"[Absolute Zero]!"

"[Clean Slate]!"

Not even [Clean Slate] worked?! But that's a tenth tier spell which removes all buffs, curses, debuffs, and status effects within a large AOE! There's no way I should still be under any sort of effect. Unless I somehow managed to develop a new super tier spell… but no, the cast time and mana cost were too low for that to be the case…

I pace back and forth in my room, desperately wracking my brain for another spell. But despite my immense repertoire of over 700 spells, I can't think of any other that could work if [Clean Slate] and [Full Reset] had no effect. Perhaps I should go and reference Nazarick's library…

I open the door to my chamber and step outside.

"Ainz-sama, is everything alright, I heard you shouting and could sense a lot of spell casting, is there a problem I can-" A familiar voice calls out as I enter the throne room. I look to the source - Albedo. Hmm, that's strange, she cut herself off before finishing her sentence.

"Albedo? What were you saying?" I question in my kingly voice. I look into her narrowed eyes and flinch, taken aback by the blatantly murderous intent reflected in those golden slits.

"Hmm? Albedo, what's-"

_THUD._

Suddenly, I'm on my back, unable to move. Shocked, I blink twice and look up to see Albedo on top of me, cloaked in a sinister violet aura. She's gazing down at me with hate-filled eyes and… contempt?!

"Albedo!" I shout out, vainly struggling to get out from under her. "What is the meaning of this! Get off of me this insta-"

"Silence you worm!" She practically screams at me, causing all words to catch in my throat.

What is going on?! Has… has Albedo decided to revolt against me?!

Before I can think of what to do next, she suddenly lowers her face down to my own, until we're just inches apart. With a savage glint in her eyes, she snarls through bared fangs:

"How dare you sully the garments of the Supreme One, you filthy human! Who are you?! How did you get in here!? And most importantly… WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY AINZ-SAMA!"

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**AN/: I hope you enjoyed the start of this new story! Will Bone Daddy be able to maintain his position as a supreme ruler without his emotion suppressor and expressionless face to hide behind? **


	2. Chapter 2

**In The Flesh**

**Chapter 2**

**"The 4th application"**

**POV Ainz**

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"A-Albedo, what are you talking about?! What's gotten into you?! It's me, Ainz!" I shout incredulously at the guardian overseer.

"You…" Albedo seethes from above, her whole body trembling uncontrollably:

"You dare to claim the identity of the Supreme One, the venerable ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, and the man that I love!? The mere utterance of his name from your lips is a crime punishable by death!" she shrieks, her wicked aura flaring out like a stoked flame.

reaching out to the side, her battleaxe instantaneously materializes in her outstretched grasp. My heart skips a beat as she raises it condemningly high above her head without a moment's delay.

The crescent blade arcs down upon me; I clench my eyes shut.

"Momonga!" I shout in a panic.

_Whoosh!_

I open my eyes tentatively, only to see the axe's blade suspended mere inches away from my face. Had it travelled any further, and my skull would've been cleaved in two!

"How do you know that name?" the succubus snarls in a bewildered tone.

Before I can let out a sigh of relief, I feel the axe press against my neck. I glance down at the weapon.

! ! !

My eyes widen. For in the lustrous surface of the onyx blade, I can see a face.

A very nostalgic, familiar reflection I never thought I would see again.

The countenance of a frightened salaryman.

Suzuki Satoru.

Is this an illusion? I bring a hand to my face, carefully studying the reflection in awe. Flesh! I can feel flesh! What in the world is happening?!

"How… how do you know that name?" Albedo repeats in a threatening tone.

I take a moment to swallow the lump which had coagulated in my throat, causing my adam's apple to lurch precariously beneath the axe's razor-sharp edge. Okay, the novelty of being able to feel the cold touch of metal against my skin has officially worn off! I can't lose my composure now; I'll never get to find out what's going on if Albedo cuts my head off!

"Because it's my name! Momonga, leader of the 41 supreme beings of the guild Ainz Ooal Gown! Now get off of me, Albedo, overseer of the floor guardians, created by Tabula Smaragdina!" I shout commandingly, and Albedo flinches. Nevertheless, she remains on top of me with an expression of trepidatious skepticism.

She suddenly leans down and peers searchingly into my eyes. Despite my discomfort, I hold her gaze; after a few moments, her eyes widen and she recoils back.

"A-Ainz-sama, it's really you! There's no mistaking it: after looking into your eyes, it's plain to see that you are in fact the man I love!" she cries in shock, quickly hopping off of me before promptly dropping to one knee.

Slowly rising to my feet, I take a deep breath to quell my erratic heartbeat. That was close!

"Oh Ainz-sama!" the overseer cries regretfully: "I should've known it was you immediately based on your immense magical signature. But… but when I saw a completely unfamiliar face, with the unmistakable aura of a human: with a veritable heartbeat, and flesh, and blood, wearing your garments..! I assumed the worst and was consumed with emotion! Please punish me! Death is the only possibility for a fool such as myself, who could not even recognize the Supreme Ruler of Nazarick! I am not worthy to-!"

I raise a hand to cut her off.

"Enough, Albedo, I forgive you completely. Your confusion was understandable, and I am aware that this human form radiates a different aura than my undead form. I will explain everything. But first…" I shoot a sideways glance to the homunculus maid, who had ostensibly succumbed to Albedo's oppressive aura and had her knees turned to jelly.

"Rachel, was it?" I inquire.

She nods her head slowly before replying in a trembling tone:

"Y-yes, Ainz-sama?"

"When you are able to stand again, please go and tell all the floor guardians, including Sebas and the Pleiades, to gather in the throne room immediately".

She nods emphatically, and after slowly standing up on wobbly legs, quickly refinds her nerves and sprints out of the throne room.

Of course, I could easily contact all the floor guardians via [message], but I need a bit of extra time to collect my frenetic thoughts by the time they get here...

Just how can I go about explaining this situation? Think Suzuki, think!

"Ainz-sama, please, you must punish my stupidity, or I fear I may never get over the guilt I feel for mistaking you for someone else…" Albedo suddenly entreats.

I look down at her and notice her distraught expression. So she's feeling similarly to how Shalltear felt after having been brainwashed, huh?

I nod my head in understanding. What was it the overseer herself had said before? 'Rewards and punishments are the way of the world,' or something like that?

"Hmm, I see," I muse thoughtfully, bringing a hand up to scratch at my chin sagaciously: "if that is how you feel, Albedo, I suppose it can't be helped...very well. I will think of an appropriate punishment for you later, after I explain my current appearance to all of the guardians. Is that suitable for you?" I suggest.

"Of course, Ainz-sama! I offer you my sincere gratitude!" she exclaims, a relieved smile blossoming on her face.

"Good. Now, then..." I trail off, turning around and taking a few strides to approach my throne. With a well-rehearsed slicing motion of my arm that causes my robe to billow out around me dramatically, I take a seat. Albedo, following close behind, takes her place at my side.

Now we wait for the other guardians to show up... I think I have a suitable explanation in mind, but -

hmm?

In the corner of my eye, I notice Albedo slowly shuffling closer and closer to me with rose-tinged cheeks, furtively sneaking glances my way every few seconds. I arch one of my now-existing eyebrows.

"Albedo, what is it?"

She squirms uncomfortably and averts her gaze:

"Oh! Nothing, Ainz-sama, it's just… while it may not be as perfect as your true form, your human appearance is… how should I put this..." she trails off briefly as her blush suddenly intensifies: "as far as human countenances go, I would say yours is quite handsome, Ainz-sama!" she concludes with a squeal, covering her face with both hands like a schoolgirl who had just confessed to her first crush. I feel my own cheeks flare up as well, and so I turn away from her.

"I-is that so? T-thank you…" I trail off bashfully.

While Suzuki Satoru is certainly not an ugly individual, I had never considered myself to be handsome in any capacity. On a good day, I might have thought myself slightly above average. I shift awkwardly in my throne.

Also...

I had never noticed it before, but this throne is actually rather uncomfortable, isn't it? Perhaps, at least until I figure out a way to reverse my human transformation, I will find a suitable cushion and-

Suddenly, the throne room doors open to reveal all of the guardians and the Pleiades.

"Ainz-sama, what is-" Demiurge begins, being the first one to step inside. But he stops dead in his tracks the moment he notices my face, as do all the other guardians. He tilts his head to the side for only a moment before a knowing smile etches its way onto his face.

"I see," he announces vaguely.

Eh? 'I see' he says… there's no way he could've possibly understood my circumstance in just a few seconds… right?

The other floor guardians look between myself and Demiurge in confusion.

"Ainz-sama. Is. That. Really. You? No... Forgive. Me. You. Are. definitely. The. Supreme. One. Your. Presence. However. Feels…" Cocytus trails off reluctantly.

"Different…" Aura finishes for him, squinting her eyes.

"Is this some sort of advanced illusion spell-arinsu, Ainz-sama?" Shalltear ventures.

I open my mouth to answer, but Demiurge beats me to the punch:

"No, this is no illusion, Shalltear. At this current point in time, that is Ainz-sama's true form!" he announces proudly.

"Eh?" the vampire and beast-tamer gasp, scrunching their faces dubiously.

"Ahem," Albedo clears her throat while taking a step forward from my side:

"But he is indeed still THE Supreme Overlord to whom we have pledged ourselves to!" she shouts; the underlying message is explicit, and a look of horror crosses the face of everyone present as they all simultaneously realize how unacceptable their current positions are, as servants addressing their master.

They all swiftly drop to one knee.

"Forgive our rudeness, Ainz-sama!" Demiurge pleads.

"Forgive us!" the other floor guardians cry out in unison, with their heads lowered.

I raise a hand absolvingly.

"All is forgiven, your confusion is warranted. I have called you here to explain my current situation. As expected of someone as intelligent as you, Demiurge, you seem to have grasped part of the situation already. It is as you said; currently, this is my true form!" I declare, and looks astonishment cross the faces of all the floor guardians.

Silence.

They're all staring at me intently, awaiting further elaboration. My heart skips a beat and my stomach lurches under the weight of their scrutiny; I wish I had my emotion suppressor right about now...

"All of you listen closely… you see, this human form is the result of a spell," I offer ambiguously.

"A spell? I didn't know a spell like this existed…" Shalltear admits.

The sound of a tail raking against the floor draws everyone's attention to the demon:

"That is because, Shalltear... this is a completely new spell, invented recently by Ainz-sama himself!" Demiurge reveals smugly.

All eyes turn back to me, curiously, awaiting confirmation.

I quickly bring a hand up to my chin to forcibly close my slackened jaw.

I can't believe it! Demiurge really did understand everything in just a few seconds! I don't know whether to be terrified or impressed!

I decide to go with the latter.

"Correct, Demiurge. I am impressed. How did you know?" I inquire in a regal tone.

"Your words are too kind, Ainz-sama. I merely noticed that you have been frequenting the library quite often the last couple weeks, and that the population of your low-tier undead - which I could only assume were for experimentation purposes - has increased at an unusual rate the past few days in particular. I merely put two and two together and came to the obvious conclusion that you must've been working on the creation of a new spell".

"Put two and two together, you say…" I trail off.

That doesn't even make sense!

"U-um!" Mare interjects sheepishly: "I-I can't say I understand the situation entirely, Ainz-sama, but… creating a new spell… that's pretty incredible, isn't it?"

The other floor guardians nod in agreement.

"A. Truly. Impressive. Feat. That. Only. The. Supreme. One. Could. Accomplish. _Fshhhhh_" Cocytus agrees, letting out what I can only take to be a congratulatory blast of cold air.

"Ah! As expected of Ainz-sama!" Shalltear exclaims brightly, having finally understood what was going on. She's always been a little slow...

"Way to go, Ainz-sama!" Aura cheers with a distinct glimmer of admiration in her eyes. Both the dark elf twins begin clapping in a giddy, childlike fashion.

"Silence, everyone," Demiurge interrupts: "you should not all be so surprised by this development; we're talking about Ainz-sama, after all. He is the pinnacle - nay, the very incarnation - of wisdom! Is it truly that astonishing that one such as Ainz-sama could create a new spell?" he questions rhetorically.

"Ah!" All the other floor guardians gasp in understanding.

There they go again, blowing my character out of proportion! Ahhhhh I feel so guilty!

"Ahaha…" I chuckle nervously; "thank you, everyone, for your praise. It is as you say, Demiurge, my current form is the result of a spell I had been working on over the past few weeks… a spell which allows me to freely change my biological race, and, in the near future, even the race of other people," I lie.

I figure I cannot allow the guardians to discover that this is, in fact, my true and original form: if they were to find out that I was once a lowly human, just how much would their opinions of me plummet? Since coming to this new world, I've only ever heard them refer to humans as 'worms' or 'lower life forms'!

I also do not wish to reveal the fact that my spell went awry and I currently have no means to revert the transformation; that would paint me as an utter buffoon!

So long as nobody - I shoot a quick glance at Demiurge - asks any difficult questions regarding the functionality of the spell, I should be okay and-

"Ainz-sama, if I may… why did you select a human form? And for what purposes will this spell serve?" Demiurge inquires.

...

Oh, how I hate him sometimes! I feel a bead of sweat trickle down my forehead.

"Er, Demiurge… if I gave you all the answers, how would you improve? Perhaps you should give it some thought yourself before taking the easy way out and asking for all the answers to be handed to you," I chastise.

"Of course, Ainz-sama!" the demon says, bringing a hand over his chest apologetically. After looking up at the ceiling for a few seconds, deep in thought, he looks back down to me.

Don't tell me-!

"Ah, forgive my ignorance, Ainz-sama! I initially did not realize the multitude of benefits this new spell could bring!"

Eh? Multitude?

I cough into my hand:

"... Of course, it is a truly versatile spell, with many applications," I say leadingly, while forcing myself to nod in a knowing manner.

"Indeed… in fact, I can think of four uses for this spell," the 7th-floor guardian adds.

Four?!

"H-hmm… in fact there are five uses, Demiurge, but I am impressed nonetheless. I'm sure you of course thought of this spell's potential in… THAT scenario?"

"Of course, Ainz-sama, that is most obvious!"

"A-and then there's that other situation it could be employed in!" I stammer.

"Indeed!"

"And… the thing!"

"I assume you mean THAT thing? Yes, that will be very useful in battle, Ainz-sama!"

Battle?! What is he talking about?!

"And I assume that the final application that you understand is none other than… that one!?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama! And let me just say, on account of THAT one… your generosity and kindness truly know no bounds! I am deeply moved by your consideration for the future of Nazarick and all of its denizens!"

Eh? Generosity? Consideration for the future?!

"Er… indeed. Demiurge, it seems you understand most of my plans. I will allow you to explain to the others what you have come to learn of my spell".

"Thank you, Ainz-sama!" heexclaims graciously before standing up in a dignified manner and turning to face the other floor guardians;

"As you're all well aware by now, nothing Ainz-sama does is without reason and calculative consideration... indeed, every move he makes, no matter how insignificant they may seem to ignorant fools like us, carries an unfathomably deeper meaning!"

The guardians all nod enthusiastically, expressing their resolute faith in my ingenuity.

Ahhh if only they knew the truth! I just want to sink into my throne and disappear right now. But hey, at least now I can just sit back like always and allow Demiurge to explain 'my' plan. It should be smooth sailing from here on out!

"Firstly," the demon begins, raising an index finger: "this spell can be very advantageous in battle situations. By changing your race, you can effectively adapt to any opponent and eliminate your opponent's innate advantages against you. For instance - say, when Shalltear was brainwashed and fought against Ainz-sama,"

Shalltear's expression sours at the mention of her greatest failure and she stares at the floor dejectedly.

"- with his new spell, Ainz-sama could have freely transformed himself into a non-undead lifeform in order to eliminate his racial weakness to holy magic and fire; thus taking away one of Shalltear's greatest advantages before the fight even began. In fact, he could've even transformed into something like a bipedal fairy dragon or some other creature that boasts a high resistance to both holy and fire magic, which would've effectively turned Shalltear's advantage into a disadvantage, and given himself an edge!" he explains.

Hmm… indeed, if the spell I created COULD do that, it would be quite useful...

"Secondly, this spell can be used to gain the trust of others. By using this spell, we can turn Ainz's lower undead into humans and place them within 'mock' villages - to outside nations, it will appear as though a great many human villages are flourishing and prospering under the Sorcerer Kingdom's rule. We can also utilize this spell for diplomatic purposes as well, to gain others' trust quickly by transforming our selected ambassadors into the same race as them," Demiurge concludes matter-of-factly.

I scratch my neck anxiously. Yes, all of this is very useful, indeed...

… is what I would say if this was how the spell worked!

Currently, there is no spell to my knowledge which allows you to freely manipulate your race; the closest thing to that effect would be an illusion spell, like the one I use when playing the role of Momon. But that, of course, is only a superficial alteration of physical appearance. And then there are other skills like [Perfect Warrior] that allow you to bypass certain class restrictions... but again, that has nothing to do with race and has no effect on racial passive abilities or restrictions. And, obviously, there is no spell which allows you to readily alter the genetic makeup of another person.

And there likely never will be!

"Thirdly, this spell can be utilized for spying purposes, and increase Nazarick's information gathering potential. We can transform our spies into humans and insert them into neighbouring nations, where they will be able to freely blend into society for long periods of time with no chance of being found out, thanks to this spell. This could serve a wide range of purposes: inserting transformed warriors into the military of neighbouring nations and have them raise their rank to a position of substantial power, at which point they will learn all about our enemy's battle plans, configurations, firepower, trump cards, and any other pertinent information we may be able to exploit. Or we could even have transformed individuals simply blend in as commoners, so that they may hear village gossip and the like: we may learn what the general population of a nation thinks of the Sorcerer Kingdom, and catch wind of potential revolts. And finally, the 4th potential benefit of this spell…" he trails off suspensefully.

I gulp. What could this 4th application be?

Without warning, Demiurge begins visibly trembling... euphorically..?

Uh oh. That can't be a good sign. A wave of panic surges through my chest.

Why do I feel as though I'm not going to like what he says next?

Only adding to my uneasiness, the 7th-floor guardian spreads his arms wide in a grandiose manner;

"Everyone! Rejoice! Be gracious that we have such a considerate ruler, who truly listens to his subordinates!"

All the other guardians' heads perk up in anticipation. You could easily hear a pin drop at this moment, and I almost want to berate Demiurge for creating such an unnecessarily dramatic atmosphere. Nevertheless, I lean forward with bated breath.

"Indeed… perhaps the most important application of this spell… is so that Ainz-sama may bless us with an heir!" he exclaims, turning around to face me: "isn't that right Ainz-sama?"

…

Eh?

Ehhhhh?!

All eyes turn to me in an instant: Albedo and Shalltear's gazes seem to bore right through me, their sharp gazes glimmering with excitement.

"A-an heir?!" Albedo pants out from my side, her wings fluttering excitedly.

I see Shalltear lick her lips depravedly, fidgeting anxiously.

The two darks elves have confused looks etched onto their faces.

Sebas' jaw has literally dropped.

Demiurge, what have you done?!

'W-wait, hold on a second!' is what I want to say right now, but my anxiety is holding my tongue back.

"Demiurge. What. Exactly. Do. You. Mean. By. That?" Cocytus asks.

Demiurge turns to face the icy warrior with a disapproving look:

"Can't you see? Ainz-sama, the compassionate ruler that he is, has heard and taken to heart our selfish wish that was brought up in passing shortly after coming to this New World. Our wish to be able to serve Ainz-sama for all of eternity, or at the very least an offspring of his to whom we could pledge our loyalty, should Ainz-sama disappear one day! He has worked many nights, tirelessly, to be able to fulfill our selfish desire! For you see, by changing his race, even an undead like Ainz-sama is now biologically capable of reproduction!"

At the word 'reproduction', I suddenly become painfully aware of the added appendage between my legs. A fierce blush manifests all over my face.

"Is that t-true?" Albedo asks hopefully, turning to look at me: "Kyaaaaaaaah! Ainz-sama, you look adorable when you blush like that!" she squeals ecstatically, her own cheeks having turned a bright pink.

Yep, I wish I were dead right now. And I don't mean undead. I mean dead-dead. Deceased. No longer living.

_FSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH! _

Cocytus suddenly emits a large blast of freezing cold air.

Then, after rising to his feet, he's now... dancing? Muttering to himself… something about having a child ride on his shoulders?

"Eeeeeeeeeee!" Albedo and Shalltear shrilly cry out in unison, drawing my attention away from Cocytus' daydreaming.

After realizing they both had done so, they each look to the other with hate-filled eyes.

I quickly direct my gaze away from them. Yep, I don't want to get involved with those two right now.

"U-um… so… uh… then… that means… um," Mare mutters, shifting his gaze between all of the guardians with a perplexed look on his face, hoping one of them would be willing to explain the situation to him.

The entire throne room has been thrown into pandemonium! Even the Pleiades have all huddled in a circle like schoolgirls, and I can't help but overhear bits of their gossip.

"An heir! How awesome!" I hear Lupusregina exclaim.

"Indeed… the only question remains, who will bear the child?" Yuri questions thoughtfully.

"C-could it be one of us, maybe?!" a hopeful voice asks in a hushed tone, though I can't tell who the speaker is.

"Of course not, surely it will be Lady Albedo or Lady Shalltear," Yuri affirms dismissively.

"W-well, you never know…" I hear the same anonymous speaker from before say.

"I would think Lady Albedo, she seems like the best candidate," Solution surmises.

Right now, I feel what can only be described as helpless. All of them talking about my future as though I'm not even here... is this similar to how people who live in cultures where the parents decide who they will marry early on in life feel?

And the worst part is, I can't even go back and correct them on this! Primarily because I would then have to offer another useful application for the spell that Demiurge couldn't think of… and secondly, well…

I'd hate to disappoint the guardians. I don't think I've ever seen them this lively, to the point where they've even forgotten their manners in my presence.

Not that I mind. In fact, the longer their attention stays diverted from me, the better.

"Ainz-sama!" Shalltear suddenly blurts out, shattering my fleeting sense of safety.

Aaaaand I jinxed it...

I turn to face her - and recoil back in my seat as I take in her utterly perverse expression.

She's definitely thinking of lewd thoughts right now!

"Ainz-sama!" she continues, panting heavily:

"W-when should… when should we do IT, Ainz-sama!? I'm ready any time, even now, with everyone else watching! I would not mind at all!"

"Heok-!" I gasp in surprise. So she's an exhibitionist as well?! Peroroncino, why did you make her like this?!

"You!" A seething voice hisses from beside me, sounding so vicious that my heart nearly leaps from my chest:

"Ainz-sama will obviously choose ME to bear his child! Perhaps, maybe even later tonight, he will call me to his chambers, and...and!" she trails off obscenely, clearly a little... er, hot under the wings.

Hmm… I wonder: is there a way to cast instant true-death magic on oneself? Perhaps that will be the next spell I set out to create…

I look pleadingly towards the only sane person left in this room:

'Sebas, please, do something to calm everyone down! Clear this misunderstanding!' is what a try to convey through my eyes.

Sebas meets my eyes and nods confidently with a dignified bow, bringing his hand over his heart.

I sigh in relief. Oh thank god; I have the utmost faith in Sebas' ability to keep a cool head and defuse the situation.

"Ahem!" Sebas clears his throat loudly.

Everyone turns their attention to face him.

"Everyone, it appears as though we have misunderstood Ainz-sama's intentions," he proclaims gravely.

Perfect! I have neither the heart nor the courage to speak right now, but it seems Sebas will not only calm everyone down, but rebuke this entire ordeal and set things straight for me altogether!

"What do you mean, Sebas?" Demiurge inquires with a frown.

Tell 'em Sebas! Give it to them straight! A bright smile forms on my lips. I'll have to give him a reward in secret later on.

"Go ahead, Sebas; tell them what you have come to understand," I say in a confident tone, having rediscovered my voice.

Whatever he says next is final, and will put an end to this debacle for good!

"As you wish, Ainz-sama," the butler continues with a nod: "everyone, it seems that Ainz-sama wishes for us to realize that there is no reason for him to produce only one heir. In fact, I believe that Ainz-sama intended from the very beginning to bless us with many offspring. And so, Lady Shalltear, Lady Albedo, there is no need to squabble petulantly, for if Ainz-sama should be gracious enough, you may both receive the honour of carrying many of his children," he concludes before turning to me and bowing once again.

My jaw drops speechlessly. I can palpably feel my soul drift loftily out of my now gaping mouth.

"Of course! How foolish of us to believe that only one offspring would be enough to carry on the legacy of one such as Ainz-sama! As expected of the Supreme One!" Demiurge reasons with a grin.

Cocytus bellows heartily;

"Ahhhhhh. There. Will. Be. So. Many. Children. To. Be. Carried. On. My. Shoulders! And. They. Shall. All. Call. Me. Uncle! Perhaps. Maybe. Some. Of. Them. Will. Even Have. An. Affinity. Towards. Physical. Combat. And. I. Will. Have. The. Honour. Of. Teaching. Ainz-sama's. Children. The. Way. Of. The. Warrior!" Cocytus boasts proudly.

...

"Maybe one of us will be able to bear one of his children after all!" I hear one of the Pleiades venture hopefully.

"Indeed… although are any of us worthy of such an honour?" another one asks.

"Perhaps not… though if Ainz-sama deemed me worthy, I would not object!"

"Of course not! Who in their right mind would reject such an opportunity?"

Perhaps it would've been for the best if I had allowed Albedo's axe to split my head open earlier...

…

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SEBAS WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!

everyone's fantastical delusions are becoming more and more intense by the second!

I quickly jump up from my throne and shout without thinking:

"Silence! Sebas, you..!" I begin, but stop mid-sentence as my voice falters when everyone turns to face me.

And I notice their expressions of unconcealed joy and hope.

Everyone is smiling happily.

What kind of a ruler would I be to dangle such an appealing, prospective reality in front of them, only to then rip it away from them shortly after?

"You…" I trail off again, failing to get the words out yet again. If only I was still undead, I would be able to just say it!

"You… understood my intentions perfectly, Sebas!" I cry out in the end, trying my best to keep my face from twitching.

And with that - as all the guardians' faces light up yet again - my fate is sealed.

"Of course, Ainz-sama, it is my duty to understand your wishes and fulfill them to the best of my abilities" Sebas replies.

_Chatter Chatter Chatter._

I glance nervously towards Albedo and Shalltear who have convened off to the side.

"I think it's only fair that I, as the guardian overseer, and closest aide to Ainz-sama, should be allowed the position of head-wife. Surely you do not object, Shalltear?"

"Hmph. Then in that case, I should be allowed to bear more of Ainz-sama's children," the vampire counters.

"As if! What would be the point of being the head-wife then?!" The succubus screeches indignantly.

"Hohhhh… so you're only in it for the sex then, are you, Albedo? For shame! I guess you are just a shallow succubus after all," she teases with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Why you-!"

"How about equal amounts then?" Shalltear interjects plainly; "I shall bear twenty, and you shall bear twenty. Sound fair?"

The succubus tilts her head to the side, contemplating the compromise.

"Very well, I suppose I can agree to that..." she finally concedes.

…

As my stomach lurches and I lose vision for a second, I decide to tune out the rest of that conversation. Did I hear that correctly? Twenty and twenty? I'm no mathematician, but...

That's forty kids! Just how did they come up with such a ridiculous number!

My virgin groin hurts just thinking about it!

Suddenly, my ears pick up on something truly disconcerting:

"Oi, Mare... do you think Ainz-sama will want me to... you know... as well?" I hear Aura whisper to her brother.

"Mmmmmmmm," her brother hums, deep in thought: "Maybe! Why, do you not want to?" he asks curiously.

"No no, that's not what I meant! It's just... I'm too young right now! maybe in 40 years or so... but I'm not ready to hold hands with a man yet! I hope Ainz-sama will understand..." she trails off worriedly.

Even Aura, a child who doesn't even know how babies are made, is considering such a situation?! Does everyone just think I'm a sex-crazed nymphomaniac now?! I haven't even done it before!

"I… I do not feel so well," I stammer in a shaky tone. My head is spinning...

My vision suddenly begins darkening around the edges.

"Ainz-sama!" Sebas is the first to cry out.

I collapse to the floor.

"A-Ainz-sama! What is the matter!"

"Ainz-sama!"

"What happened?!" I hear various voices call out.

In my final moments of consciousness, I think to myself;

This has been the worst transformation in the history of transformations, maybe ever.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed! Time for Bone Daddy to start boning! :p

Thought I'd release this chapter early just to get things rolling a bit more, but just letting you know I will likely be updating this story every 7-10 days for the next month and a half, as I'm currently still in school and also have another (asssassination classroom) fanfiction on the go. Once school is out for me, however, I will try to update every 5 days or so.

Oh, and despite the direction this story seems to be taking right now, it WILL NOT contain any overtly pornographic or otherwise over-explicit content, so if that's the kind of thing you're looking to get out of this story, I would suggest dropping this lol.

Stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 3

**In The Flesh**

TheReaperCometh

Chapter: 3

**POV Zesshi**

.

.

.

(within the inner chamber of the Slaine Theocracy's treasury)

"Please, Zesshi, will you not reconsider your decision?" The captain of the Black Scripture implores.

"Absolutely not, I hate the look of it," I rebuke adamantly without even looking up from my Rubik's cube.

"But Downfall of Castle and Country is an extremely powerful and sacred relic: for you to refuse using it based solely on its appearance is rather…" he trails off.

"Is rather what?" I spit out, daring him to continue.

He bites his tongue.

"Please consider it: the high council has deemed it necessary in order to strike a potentially decisive blow against the Sorcerer King".

I finally peel my eyes away from the unsolvable puzzle and stare at the man before me with blatant disinterest.

"Ainz-Ooal Gown, was it?" I ask.

"Indeed… it is rare for you to have committed someone's name to memory so quickly," he notes.

"Simply because most people aren't worth remembering," I reply curtly.

"Is that so?"

"It is. Why would I devote parts of my memory to remembering the names of insects?" I mutter rhetorically.

"The names of insects you say…you know, I seem to recall hearing that one of the Sorcerer King's generals is a large insect-like creature… and would you look at that, I can't remember his name!" he admits with a chuckle.

I shoot him a glare and he quickly stifles his laughter.

"Hmm… well I will admit the Sorcerer King's existence has piqued my curiosity… especially after his recent excursion to the Holy Kingdom".

I begin fiddling with the puzzle cube again.

"Yes, managing to subjugate that fiendish demon Jaldabaoth was a very impressive feat," the captain agrees.

"Well, I wonder about that…" I muse apathetically. My eyebrows furrow ever so slightly at the confounding nature of this colored box. So far, it has been the most challenging opponent I've faced in many years.

"What do you mean by that?" The captain asks in an astonished tone.

Why must this worm ask so many questions?

Sigh.

"I heard that Jaldabaoth was pushed back in the Re-estize kingdom by three measly adamantite adventurers. So was he really that strong?" I point out.

"Ah, so that's what you meant… yes, Evileye of Blue Rose alongside Momon and Nabe of Darkness… though I have heard that the three of them are adamantites among adamantites," He clarifies.

"Hmph" I pout disinterestedly: "Then I ask you this: are any of those adventurers as powerful as me?"

"I am hardly qualified to say for sure, Zesshi, but… while I believe you would be able to beat either Nabe or Evileye, because they are both simply magic casters… I wonder about Momon…"

Now I'm somewhat intrigued.

"What has he done to warrant such praise from you?" I question.

"He has accomplished many great feats in a very small amount of time".

"Like what?"

"Well for one, in a single night, he managed to slay hundreds of undead and thwart the plans of a fairly infamous necromancer".

"That can hardly be considered an accomplishment" I snort with a yawn.

"And on the same night, he killed Clementine as well".

Clementine… it sounds vaguely familiar... where have I heard that name before?

As though reading my mind, the captain looks to me with a smile:

"Clementine was a member of our Black Scripture some few years ago, Zesshi. She defected".

Ah, I remember now… she was around the level of an adamantite adventurer.

No wonder I didn't remember her name.

"Oh right… the weird one who had a fetish for hunting down weak adventurers and affixing their plates to her armor, right? Am I supposed to be impressed that he squashed an insect like her? What else has Momon done?"

"He also defeated a gigant basilisk"

"Well that counts for something, I suppose..." I mutter in disappointment… if these are the pinnacles of his achievements, I have little hopes for him being a worthy adversary.

"And then he subjugated the Wise King of the forest of Tob, also single-handedly".

"The what now?"

The captain sighs in exasperation.

"Regardless, Zesshi - the higher-ups have deemed him to be a powerful entity, which is why the high council has grown more and more worried since he swore allegiance to the Sorcerer King".

"Did he now?" I say, feigning astonishment.

"Yes, which is why we ask that you would don the Downfall of Castle and Country, passed down from the late Lady Kaire, and use it to seize control of one of the Sorcerer King's valued subordinates who frequents Carne village," the captain explains.

"Is this subordinate powerful?"

"She is affiliated with the Sorcerer King, so that goes without question".

"You know what I mean," I hiss.

The captain closes his eyes for a moment and leans against the wall, jutting out his tongue for a moment to lick at his lips before letting out a sigh.

"... No, I highly doubt that she is as powerful as you are".

"Then I do not wish to participate in this ridiculous errand. I do not share the concerns of the high council, and will not go out of my way to support their agendas… although I am a bit surprised by their hastiness. I thought they were too afraid of the Sorcerer Kingdom to attempt something so bold," I mutter dozily, letting out another yawn.

"Well, times have changed… we've come to realize that as more time passes, the more powerful the Sorcerer Kingdom will become. And our initial plans to harness the power of the Catastrophe Dragon Lord failed as well… so members of the council have become restless. And Zesshi, you may find this plan has a significant potential benefit for you as well," He assures ambiguously.

"And what would that benefit be, exactly?"

"After capturing the maid working at Carne village, we will demand that the Sorcerer King come - alone - and negotiate for her release"

"And what does the high council wish to gain from this? Do they plan to somehow butcher him in cold blood?"

"Do you actually want to know?" the captain asks with a grim smile.

"... No, I don't care. So, why should I be interested in this?"

"Because if the Sorcerer King comes on his own, you can challenge him to a duel. And if you are pleased with his level of power, then you could potentially convince him to bless you with a child".

I stop fiddling with the cube.

"But… I thought the Sorcerer King was undead? I gave up on wanting to have a child with him after I found that out," I seethe bitterly.

A child born from me, a god-kin, and a supreme-level magic caster… surely that child would be immensely powerful. Creating such a lifeform has always been a dream of mine, which is why I wanted to meet this Ainz Ooal Gown for so long: but now, that can never happen...

"Actually, with regards to that… rumour has it that the Sorcerer King has created a spell which allows him to freely manipulate his race, meaning he can likely become capable of reproduction".

"A rumour?" I repeat doubtfully.

"Well, we have reason to believe it is the truth. One of our spies at Carne village actually heard this fact uttered from the mouth of the maid in question herself while she was talking with the village leader".

"Hmm… you idiot, why didn't you start this entire conversation with that?" I chastise.

The captain merely shrugs and scratches his chin resignedly.

If there is still a chance that I could have a child with the Sorcerer King… I owe it to myself to at least put in a little effort, right?

"Fine. I will wear the stupid relic and carry out your plan. Though I do not feel like doing so today… or tomorrow…" I offer lazily.

The captain's face brightens in an instant.

"Well, I'll be sure to let the high council know of your decision - they will be pleased, Zesshi!"

"Please make it abundantly clear that I am not doing it for their sake," I say with a smile.

"... as you wish. Goodbye, then… and good luck with that-" he says jokingly while pointing towards the cube in my hands, before shutting the door behind him.

The Sorcerer King. huh…

For his own sake, he better live up to my expectations.

**POV Ainz**

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.

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(Somewhere in Nazarick)

My eyes slowly creak open and I blink a few times, lethargically, adjusting to my dim surroundings.

"Ughhh" I groan. My head feels like it's about to implode. Where am I?

My chambers..?

"Ainz-sama!" a chorus of voices cry out.

I sit up slowly.

"Who…. urk!" I cry out in surprise as I turn to the side and see four kneeling individuals at my bedside, all of whom are looking up at me with relieved expressions… well, Cocytus has a rather inscrutable visage, but I can assume from the clicking of his mandibles that he is relieved as well.

"What happened?" I ask.

"We were hoping you would be willing to enlighten us in regards to that, Ainz-sama! You suddenly collapsed… was it perhaps a side-effect of your transformation spell?" Demiurge asks worriedly.

There's absolutely no chance that the guardians would be able to comprehend the situation if I told them "I was overwhelmed with distress signals coming from my testicles at the prospect of having 40 kids"... think, Suzuki, what would be an appropriate explanation to warrant the collapse of the Supreme Ruler of Nazarick?!

Aha, I got it!

"I-indeed! It is as you say, Demiurge… I suppose that this feeble human body could not properly accommodate my level of magical power, which far exceeds its biological capacity… yes, but it seems to have finally adapted to a satisfactory degree. Yet even now, I can still feel the immense pressure my energy is exerting on this body, threatening to rupture it at any moment!" I explain with a confident nod.

Nailed it!

"Ah! So that's how it is!" Demiurge exclaims.

"As expected of Ainz-sama!" Aura and Mare cheer.

I know they mean well but… man, it feels super lame being praised for having collapsed unceremoniously in front of everyone.

"Ainz. sama. If. it. Is. so. Strenuous. Perhaps. You. should. Revert. The. Transformation. Now?" Cocytus suggests.

Silence.

The other three guardians look to me expectantly.

"I was thinking the same thing as well, Ainz-sama. Or perhaps even just switch to a less fragile body... perhaps that of a demon? Truly, a human shell is not worthy to host the body of the Supreme One!" Demiurge reasons.

"That..!" I begin to say.

\- Is a valid point! Ahhhhh I may have gone a bit overboard talking up the inability of this body to adjust to my power!

I cough into my hand.

"No, I will remain in this form for a while longer in order to fully adjust… after all, If I can feel comfortable within a human body, then truly, I will be able to transform into any other race with ease. As the saying goes: 'he who walks the most difficult path will then be able to walk the difficult road with ease'… I believe Ulbert-san said those word,s" I offer philosophically with a nod, hoping to sway Demiurge with the words of his own creator.

"Ah, I see! That makes perfect sense, Ainz-sama!"

Phew! Now, to change the course of this conversation before any more troublesome questions are asked!

"Incidentally… how long was I asleep?"

"3 hours, 22 minutes and 23 seconds, Ainz-sama!" Demiurge answers.

So precise! And wait a minute…

"Er… you four haven't been kneeling at my bedside for all that time, have you?" I ask hesitantly, though I feel like I already know the answer.

"Of course we did Ainz-sama!" Aura affirms.

"Er…" I mutter lamely.

Surely they couldn't have stood statue-still in such an uncomfortable position, just watching me rest for over three hours, right?!

"Did… did you at least get up and stretch, at some point? Go for a walk?" I ask hopefully.

"Nope!" Mare offers happily.

"How. Could. Any. Of. The. Floor. Guardians. Even. Think. Of. Doing. Anything. Else. While. You. Were. In. Such. A. Worrisome. State. Ainz-sama?"

I tilt my head to the side curiously:

"If that is the case... where are Albedo and Shalltear?" I question. In fact, I would've expected those two, especially Albedo, to be the most concerned.

"Ehehe… about that" Aura laughs nervously, scratching the back of her head.

"Hmm?" I raise an eyebrow. Ok, now I'm concerned.

Demiurge pushes up on his glasses anxiously: "Ainz-sama, as expected, those two could not control themselves properly, given your… vulnerable state, and so we thought it prudent to remove them from the room".

Huh?

"And by 'could not control themselves' you mean…" I trail off uncertainly.

"They. Kept. Trying. To. Lay. With. You. Ainz-sama" Cocytus interjects, candidly confirming my suspicion.

"It is as Cocytus says, Ainz-sama… after they each attempted to remove their clothes and jump on top of you for the 17th time, we had no choice but to restrain them by force" Demiurge admits.

.. Eh?

17?! Why did it take 17 attempts before these four finally realized that those two lacked self control?! No, a lack of 'self control' can't even excuse them here: they tried to rape me! 17 times, no less! Also..!

How on earth did I sleep through all that?!

"I-I see… well, thank you for protecting me, you four have done well. Restraining those two could not have been an easy task".

"There is no need to praise us, Ainz-sama! To protect you is our most basic function - if we could not even do that, our lives would have no value!" Demiurge explains.

"I wish I could've been protected from having to see Albedo's bush again..." I catch Aura mutter despondently under her breath.

An image pops into my mind after hearing that, and I quickly feel my face burn up. I cough divertingly into my hand.

"A-anyway… well, I am awake and well now. I apologize for having wasted 3 hours of your time".

I raise a hand as I notice demiurge's mouth begin to open in protest.

It's time I act like a proper Supreme Ruler for a bit.

"Stop, I do not wish to hear anything along the lines of 'it was not a waste of time at all, Ainz-sama!'. I have already declared that I have wasted your time - and my word is absolute, is it not?"

"...I understand, Ainz-sama," Demiurge responds reluctantly after a moment of silence before pursing his lips. The other guardians' faces also reflect a similar look of consternation, as if the mere thought of watching over me being a waste of time is utter blasphemy.

The expression 'Loyal to a fault' was truly created for the sole purpose of describing these hopeless subordinates of mine. Still, I do feel bad that they all actually knelt down on the floor with nothing to do for so long: as a good boss, I should make it up to them...

"Good. Then, to make up for the time I have cost you, I will grant each of you something you desire - within reason, of course".

"Ainz-sama-!"

I raise my hand again: "Demiurge, do you remember what I told Sebas a couple weeks ago?"

" ...'Ruling over the selfless is sometimes displeasing', was it?"

I nod my head,

"Now, each of you, give me your request. Do not be humble. I will start with you, Demiurge".

"In that case… Ainz-sama, I would greatly appreciate a small sum of money in order to fund a personal experiment of mine".

"A personal experiment you say..?' I trail off, bringing a hand to my chin. Well, it would be rather hypocritical of me to discourage independent research… but I wonder what it is that he's working on.

Actually, nevermind, I probably don't want to know. No need to pry. Though I suppose I should ask one thing…

"Demiurge, this personal experiment of yours… will it yield any benefits for Nazarick?"

"Of course, Ainz-sama! Everything I do is for Nazarick! If you'd like, I can draw up a detailed report for you and-"

"No, that is okay, I do not need to impose myself on your personal research. If it is for the betterment of Nazarick, that is good enough for me. Very well, take as much gold out of the vault as you need and have Sebas exchange it for New World currency. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course! Thank you very much, Ainz-sama!"

I nod my head before turning my attention to Mare.

"Mare, what is it you desire?"

"U-um… if it isn't too much to ask, A-Ainz-sama… then…" he trails of meekly:"a-actually, I really don't need any-"

"I will be displeased if you ask for nothing," I interject plainly.

The druid, averting his gaze to the ground, begins to fumble uncoordinatedly with his staff between his undoubtedly clammy hands.

"T-then… seeing as how I completed all the tasks that I was supposed to do today… would it be alright if I were permitted to spend the rest of the afternoon reading in Nazarick's library?"

That's it?

"That is your request, Mare?" I question. His eyes widen fearfully and he quickly bows his head awkwardly.

"I-if that's asking too much to ask for, then-!"

"No it is not too much, do not misunderstand my question. I was only asking because I thought your request was too small. Very well Mare, I permit you to use Nazarick's library to your heart's content for the rest of today".

"T-thank you, Ainz-sama!" the boy stammers gratefully.

Okay, that's two down…

"Aura, what is your… Aura, are you alright?" I ask after noticing the fierce blush tinting the tomboy's cheeks.

"Y-yes, I'm alright, Ainz-sama!" She replies in a particularly boisterous voice. She makes eye contact with me for the briefest of moments before quickly averting her gaze to the floor.

What's the matter with her?

"Then, Aura, what is your-"

"Ainz-sama! If it isn't too much trouble, I… I..!" She suddenly cries out before trailing off.

"Aura!" Demiurge shouts with a look of horror: "how dare you interrupt Ainz-sama, especially when he's trying to reward you!"

"Gah! I-I'm very sorry, Ainz-sama!" She apologizes, frantically - and repeatedly - bowing her head towards me.

"It is alright, Demiurge, Aura. Now please, tell me your request - it seems something is troubling you" I press.

"A-alright, here g-goes nothing: A-Ainz-sama, I w-would very much appreciate it if you w-would be willing to wait until I m-mature a little more before we... make any babies together!" She cries tremulously, clenching her eyes shut while her blush intensifies to such a redness that would put even a tomato to shame.

My jaw goes slack.

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…

Did… did Aura really just request that I not be a pedophile?!

The other three guardians gasp in shock.

"A-aura!" Demiurge stutters angrily: "How dare you ask something like that?! If Anz-sama sees you fit to bear his child, who are you to object!?"

"I. Agree. With. Demiurge! Aura. that. Is. Not. Your. Decision. To. Make! In. fact. If. Ainz-sama. Were. to. Take. You right. Now. for. His. own. You. Should. Feel. Honored!" Cocytus huffs.

"Ehhh?!" Aura gasps.

"C-Cocytus!" I shout.

Warrior Takemikazuchi and Ulbert... did neither of them program their creations with the understanding of 'consent', or the concept of 'no means no'?!

"Forgive me, Ainz-sama! If you wish to.. to hold my hand right now, I would not object!" Aura blurts out awkwardly.

Ahhhhh the fact that she still has no idea how babies are even made makes this whole situation even worse!

I just woke up, I don't want to pass out again!

"A-aura, there is no need to worry! I-I will grant your request, and let it be known that I had no intentions of… er... holding your hand any time soon," I conclude, nodding emphatically.

A clumsy smile forms on Aura's lips: "T-thank you, Ainz-sama!"

"Then, moving on!" I shout out desperately.

"C-cocytus, what is it you desire?!"

"Yes! Ainz-sama! I. Would. Greatly. Appreciate. It. if. You. would. Allow. Me. To. Battle. With. A. Powerful. Opponent! You. See. I. Had. A. Small. Taste. Of. Battle. With. the. Lizardmen. But. They. Were. So. Weak. it. Just. left. Me. Wanting. More. And. I Have. Been. Anxious. To. Battle. Seriously. Ever. Since" he concludes with a determined bow.

"Hmmm… a strong opponent, is it? Did you have someone or something in mind?" I ask.

"I. Would. Like. An. Opportunity. To. Do. Battle. With. Another. Floor. Guardian," he states matter of factly.

Hmm… the guardians fighting? I don't really want to see that… infighting between my friends' children... though if it were only a sparring match and another guardian willingly participated, I suppose it would be alright.

"Hmmm, and I would assume that in order to indulge your inner warrior, Cocytus, you would prefer a guardian who fights close quarters, who could push you to the limit as a warrior?"

"That. would. Be. wonderful. Ainz-sama!" He roars happily, expelling a forceful blast of frost.

Well that narrows it down to Albedo, Sebas, or Shalltear… all of them are tough, durable individuals; so it should be alright.

"I will consider it, Cocytus, and get back to you on that later. I'm sorry for not being able to fulfill your request immediately".

"There. Is. No. Need. To. Apologize. Ainz-sama! I. Thank. You. for. Your. Consideration."

"Excellent. Now that everything has been taken care of… all of you may return to your duties, I have somewhere I need to be right now. Do not disturb me unless it is an absolute emergency, understood?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama!"

I nod, and quickly activate the ring of Ainz Ooal Gown.

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.

.

_Sploosh_

"Ahhhhhhhh, forget what I said earlier! [Greater Elicit Emotion] is the best spell I've ever cast!" I mutter contentedly while lowering myself into the warm, bubbling spring waters of the 9th floor's spa resort.

The slime bath may have been a satisfactory replacement for a short while, but my inner Japanese has truly been yearning to once again experience a real bath!

I brace my head against the wall behind me and quietly survey the ridiculously large bath area around me.

Why did they make it this big? This place could easily accommodate over a hundred individuals… even if all 41 of us had gathered here at the same time - which would never happen - this place would still feel empty!

Oh well, I suppose having such a vast open space all to myself instills a sense of… serenity, within me.

But at the same time it feels kind of lonely… I wish one of my old guildmates were here with me.

I close my eyes and tilt my head back further.

Maybe I should arrange another get-together with the male floor guardians again… everyone seemed to enjoy it last time, even though it got cut short because the girls had agitated Lucifer's golem by failing to comply with the bath rules.

Feeling my head becoming cold, I submerge myself fully under the water and relish in the all-encompassing warmth.

Finally, I surface and let out a happy sigh.

I wipe at my eyes so that I can open them.

"Urk!" I gasp out, nearly leaping out of the bath.

"A-albedo?!" I exclaim in surprise.

"Ainz-sama!" The succubus, sitting only a few feet away from me in the bath, replies in a cheerful tone... as if nothing is wrong!

When the hell did she get here?!

"A-albedo! What are you doing here?"

"Why, I came to gaze upon your magnificent form, Ainz-sama!" She says with a blush, turning her head away bashfully.

You can't say something as creepy as that and then pretend to be all shy about it!

"Albedo… that is hardly appropriate… wah!" I gasp out as she suddenly leans in closer, bringing her face within a foot of mine.

"Kyaaaaaa! Ainz-sama, I love it when you get all flustered now! Please, do it again!"

"D-do what again?!"

"Eeeeee there it is, Ainz-sama, you're blushing again!"

"N-no I'm not! It's… simply because the water is hot and I'm beginning to feel overheated!" I lie, trying my best to look anywhere other than the top of Albedo's cleavage, peeking just above the water's surface.

"Perhaps you should get out then, Ainz-sama!" She suggests in an… oddly happy tone.

I narrow my eyes… why would she want me to leave her now?

Something isn't right.

"Hmm… perhaps I will…" I say, as I begin to slowly raise myself out of the water, all the while studying the overseer's face.

Wait, that glimmer of anticipation in her eyes…

I stop rising out of the water: and as I thought, a look of disappointment flashes across her face.

Aha! So that was her goal all along! And to think, I almost fell for it!

As soon as I get out from this bubbly water, I'll be completely exposed.

"Hmm so that's how it is," I muse in a regal voice, lowering myself back in the water.

"Ainz-sama, don't you want to get out?" Albedo asks in a seemingly sincere voice - though I can hear the traces of deceit in her voice!

"Albedo, I applaud your efforts, however, did you really think I would fall for something that simple?".

"Hmph!' She pouts, crossing her arms: "as expected of the Supreme One… but..." she trails off, and her blush quickly returns.

I arch an eyebrow.

"Then… that means you'll be staying in here with me for a while longer!" She squeals ecstatically.

... Or wait, perhaps THIS was her plan all along!

I'm trapped! Ahhh why didn't I at least keep the ring of Ainz-Ooal gown on! Using [gate] or [teleport] would still require me to get out of the water. I suppose the greater fault lies in the fact that I decided to bathe in the mixed-bath area...

"Aaaaainz...sama…" Albedo suddenly pants out in a seductive, heated whisper.

"W-what is it, Albedo?"

"Ainz-sama… it's only the two of us… all alone in here… without any clothes on… doesn't that make you want to… do something?!" She cries out depravedly.

Yes, it does make me want to do something:

it makes me want to get the hell out of here!

"Ainz-sama! Let's… let's make your first heir, right now!" She squeals, her wings unfurling uncontrollably, spraying water everywhere.

No beating around the bush, huh?!

I look hopefully to the giant statue standing off to the side.

Seriously, Lucifer?! spraying water everywhere with your wings doesn't count as breaking the bath rules!?

"A-albedo!" I muster up my deepest voice: "I order you to-!"

"Ainz-sama, please! Even you have to admit, the thought of doing something so dirty in a place where you're supposed to get clean… isn't it arousing?!" She shrieks, and suddenly, she stands up out of the water, exposing her entire body.

Speaking of beating around the 'bush'!

"A-albedo!"

I quickly avert my gaze. I can't look at her like this! She's like the daughter of my good friend Tabula!

"Oh Ainz-sama! There's that adorable blush again! Even if you say no, I can see the lust in your eyes! You cannot hide it in this human form, Ainz-sama! Your face, your body… are saying yes!" And with that she leans down towards me, lowering herself on top of me.

Why do none of the guardians understand the meaning of consent?!

I feel her pillowy chest press against my own and my heart skips a beat.

"It'll be over before you know it, Ainz-samaaaaa!"

I feel a hand touch my inner thigh and I yelp, reactively jumping out of the bath.

"AHHHH AINZ-SAMA!" Albedo screams elatedly, bringing both hands to cover her face bashfully.

-!

I quickly lower myself back underwater.

…

Feeling terribly embarrassed, I submerge myself underwater right up until my eye level, hoping to conceal my blatant reddening.

Albedo continues to pant heavily, shuddering delightfully.

"It truly is… of a size befitting the Supreme Ruler of-"

"I don't want to hear it!" I shout out.

A few minutes of awkward silence pass - save for the overseer's fantastical, hushed mutterings:

"I saw it… I saw it I saw it I saw it! Ainz samaaaaaa's-"

If I were to just stop breathing right now, would I be able to drown before Albedo could notice..? She seems pretty distracted, after all. Suicide jokes aside, how can I fix this predicament?!

Suddenly, an ingenious idea comes to mind. Why didn't I think of this sooner?

"Albedo. In regards to your punishment for your earlier actions…"

And just like that, Albedo's disposition does a complete 180 - save for her blush, which refuses to dissipate.

"Yes, Ainz-sama, have you thought of a suitable punishment for someone as insolent as myself?"

"Yes, the punishment you wanted to receive for failing to recognize me earlier…" I say with a confident, almost maniacal grin:

"Indeed, Albedo… for your punishment, you will allow me to erase all of your memories concerning the last ten minutes!" I cry out.

The overseer recoils back in shock with a look of utter horror on her face, springing out of the water indignantly.

"N-no please, Ainz-sama! Anything but that! In fact, I would rather die than forget the sight of your glorious-!"

"Then, it is a suitable punishment for your transgression, yes?"

"Urk! V-very well… if that is what you believe, Ainz-sama" she mutters lamentably as tears begin to well up in her eyes. Slowly, despairingly, she sinks back into the water with a quivering expression.

Although I hate seeing her upset… this is perfect! All the embarrassment I experienced since coming to this bath can instantly be forgotten!

"Good. Now, Albedo, turn around"

"...understood, Ainz-sama… I didn't know you could be this cruel!" she pouts.

She complies nevertheless, and promptly turns her back to me. I cautiously approach her from behind and place a hand on her head.

"Ah!" She gasps, shuddering euphorically under my touch, nearly causing me to retract my hand.

Is it even possible for someone to crave physical contact this desperately?!

"[Alter Memory]!" I cry out. I close my eyes and begin combing through her memories… there! Her most recent ones! Before I delete it, however… part of me is curious as to how much she saw…

!

Well, she definitely saw it all but... that thing is over two feet long!

She had just seen it, and yet her memory of it had already become so irreconcilably exaggerated?!

...

Aaaaaaaaaaand… deleted!

I remove my hand from her head.

"Albedo, how do you feel?" I ask tentatively.

She turns around with a dumbfounded look on her face: "Ainz-sama?! W-what am I doing here?"

"What do you mean? We were just talking about our military-implementation plans within the Baharuth empire" I lie.

"I-is that so..? In the bath, no less?" She asks doubtfully, bringing a hand to her chin in flummoxed contemplation.

I do my best to form a worried expression: "Indeed. In fact, you had just finished saying you were about to leave and draw up a full report for me… perhaps that would be for the best. The heat seems to be getting to you," I point out.

"Yes, I think I shall. I-if you'll excuse me then, Ainz-sama…" She mutters in a slightly unconvinced tone while rising out of the water and turning to leave. I do my best to look away from her retreating form - though she really does have a nice figure...

what was it that Peroroncino always said, despite his innate inclination towards lolis?

Ah, that's right: "If a girl has curves in all the right places, my heart races!"

That may be the only aspect of sexual attractiveness that he and I share an appreciation for… he definitely had eccentric tastes.

Suddenly, just before reaching the exit, Albedo halts in her tracks. She whirls around to face me, with a forebodingly crazed look on her face.

"Although, seeing as how we're both here, all alone, Ainz-sama, perhaps we could-!" She begins hopefully.

"Albedo," I say sternly: "as punishment for your earlier transgression, I will have you depart immediately without suggesting anything inappropriate".

Since I also erased the part of her memory of me giving her a punishment, I can issue another to ensure that the same awkward sequence of events doesn't occur!

The succubus purses her lips ever so slightly, deliberately, before nodding delicately.

"Ah, I see… very well Ainz-sama, though I feel that is too small a punishment..." she says worriedly.

"Well, it is the punishment I have decided to dole out. As I said before, your apprehension towards me was justifiable at the time… I believe this punishment is more than enough. Surely you have no qualms with my final decision, hmm?"

Albedo smiles and bows her head in response: "Truly, you are too kind Ainz-sama. Then, in accordance with your punishment, I shall leave without uttering another word. Excuse me," she says before turning around and FINALLY exiting.

Phew... Crisis averted!

Now to leave, before anything else can happen…

"[Excuse me, Ainz-sama, forgive me for imposing on your personal time]" the voice of Sebas suddenly rings out in my head.

Can't a guy ever catch a break?!

I press a finger to the side of my head in acknowledgement of the [message].

"[No, it is alright, I was just finishing up here. What is it, Sebas?]"

"[Ah very good then… while I do not know if the current circumstance could be classified as an emergency… Fluder Paradyne seems to have found himself on our doorstep. Would you like him to be disposed of?"

Eh?

**POV Fluder Paradyne**

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.

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(Outside of Nazarick)

Badump Badump Badump!

I clutch at my chest.

When was the last time this old heart of mine had managed to beat so fervently?

Ah, I suppose it would've been when last I was allowed the privilege of feasting my eyes on the Supreme One's power, and he had so graciously gifted me the Book of the Dead!

I press the tome in question, which I keep in the pocket of my robe at all times, closer to my body.

I wipe away the small amount of drool that had begun to trickle out the corner of my mouth.

The very prospect of being able to feast my eyes upon Ainz-Ooal Gown-dono's magical energy is enough to make me salivate in anticipation!

I only hope His Majesty will not be too displeased by my forced eviction from the Baharuth Empire… but should he be willing to forgive me and allow me to reside here…

I shall be able to peer deeper into the abyss of magic every day alongside him!

"Ahaha…" I cackle giddily to myself.

If only Jircniv could even begin to understand the depths of my new master's power… he claims he understands, but he doesn't! Even if he were to unite the entire continent, nay, the entire world to rise against The Sorcerer Kingdom - it would all be in vain! The Sorcerer King should be the most exalted being on the planet, and we should all be grateful for our very lives! Humanity would flourish under his rule, certainly, and our knowledge of magic would increase exponentially!

_Boom!_

A thunderous crash erupts a few feet in front of me, spewing chunks of dirt and dust into the air.

Eventually, the dust settles down to reveal a small dark-elf child, standing in the centre of a small crater with a grin on her face.

"Ah! His Grace has finally sent an emissary to greet me! Wonderful! Er.. Aura-sama, was it?" I ask tentatively in a polite tone.

"Yeppers, that's me! Good afternoon, Fluder-dono!" she beams happily

"Please, do not refer to me with such honorifics, I am not worthy" I reply.

"Perfect, that works for me! Nevertheless, you have been recognized by Ainz-sama himself to be a very important person with great potential! So please, just call me Aura! Now… Ainz-sama is curious: what has brought you to the Tomb of Nazarick?"

His Majesty has acknowledged me as one with great potential?!

My eyes are beginning to moisten in joy!

"Er, Fluder, are you alright?" The dark elf asks.

"Y-yes, my apologies. Ahem, regarding the matter of what brought me here… I regret to say that I have been forcibly driven out of the Empire by emperor Jircniv and wish to reside within His Majesty's tomb!" I plead

"Hmm… well, normally I would be against the idea of a mere human living within the tomb itself, but you don't seem so bad! At the very least, you admire Ainz-sama to a satisfactory level, and you aren't a complete weakling!" She… compliments, I suppose?

'T-thank you. Indeed, I am unworthy… but I wish to be of service to Gown-dono in any way I can!" I assure.

"That's the spirit! Oi, Shallty, open the gate!" She suddenly cries out to the sky.

Less than three seconds later, a swirling purple gate opens up before us.

"This portal will take you straight to Ainz-sama's office! Good luck, Fluder-san!" She cheers with a fist pump.

Incredible… to think that such a small and innocent child possesses a level of power which far exceeds that of any adamantite class adventurer!

Gulp. Will I ever be able to attain such power?

Of course not… humans could never be that powerful. Gown-dono is proof of that.

But I would be overjoyed if I could be gaze deep enough into the magical abyss to be able to cast 7th, or even 8th tier magic! Then I could truly die happy, knowing that I reached the absolute zenith of human ability!

I feel my knobby knees begin to tremble anxiously. Deep breaths, Fluder!

"I am most grateful, Aura," I bow politely before eagerly stepping through the portal

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**A/N hope you enjoyed :p**

**what do you guys think of the POV changing? Thought it would add a bit more flavour and stop the story from feeling static and repetitive. Plus, different characters bring with them their own set of personalities flavours, and makes writing this story more refreshing.**

**If you guys would like to see this story through other character's eyes in later chapters as well - or you REALLY want it to be all Ainz -let me know either way.**


	4. Chapter 4

**In The Flesh**

TheReaperCometh

**A/N thanks for all your feedback last chapter: it seems most of you like the idea of a changing POV, but prefer that it still remain mostly focused on Ainz: so I figure about 70% of the story will be through his POV****.**

**Enjoy the chapter :)**

Chapter: 4

"Ainz Against the Icy Warrior"

**POV Ainz**

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_Bonk._

_Bonk._

_Bonk._

"A-Ainz-sama, what is the matter?!" Albedo asks in a concerned voice, unable to comprehend why the Supreme Ruler of Nazarick is repeatedly bashing his head into his desk.

How could she understand? After all, there is no reason for the great Ainz Ooal Gown to display such undignified petulancy.

But Suzuki Satoru, on the other hand…

Is fuckin' exhausted!

Ahhhhh so much has happened today, and just when I thought the chaos was finally dwindling, in comes a surprise visit from Fluder!

I'm hungry, tired, and ultimately just mentally fatigued.

I sluggishly raise my head and look to Albedo:

"Forgive me, I am still adjusting to this new form. Being human is… taxing," I explain.

"Ah! There is no need to apologize, Ainz-sama! Of course one such as yourself would be feeling cramped within the confines of such a weak body! If there is anything you need me to do in order to… alleviate some of the pressure, don't hesitate to ask! Even if you just need an outlet for your sexual tension, Ainz-sama, I am here for you to use and abus-"

"I-I'll keep that in mind, Albedo!" I say while trying my hardest to stave off a blush… because that seems to be a turn on for her; which in turn makes me more uncomfortable, which then makes me blush more, which then makes her even hornier… it's a vicious cycle!

I clear my throat.

"Albedo".

"Yes, Ainz-sama!"

"I have sent Aura to greet our human guest, Fluder Paradyne. He will be arriving shortly. You are aware that I consider him to be a valuable asset, Albedo?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama".

"You know what that means, don't you?"

"Yes: I am to treat him politely and respectfully, and refrain from saying anything that may reflect poorly on The Sorcerer Kingdom or its Ruler".

I nod my head in approval:

"Good. Now- ah, here he comes now".

A [Gate] suddenly appears, and the old magic caster in question steps out of the swirling void with an intoxicated expression.

"Oh and Albedo," I begin to whisper: "do not command him to prostrate before me: he is a guest and will be treated as-"

"Oh Supreme Ruler! My God! Ainz Ooal Gown-samaaaaa!" The old man roars energetically before promptly throwing himself to the ground at my feet.

Jeez...

"Er… welcome back, Fluder Paradyne, to the capital city of the Sorcerer Kingdom".

"Yes! It's magnificent! All of it! You! Your subordinates! It's all incredible, wahahaha!" He cheers with a boisterous - and borderline maniacal - laugh.

What a loon!

And yet, hold on a minute...

I tilt my head to the side curiously.

Now that I'm getting a good look at him, if I'm not mistaken, it appears as though his magical aura has increased substantially since last I saw him. I wonder how that came to be..?

"At least you know your place, human," Albedo interjects with a smug grin, staring down at the kneeling man with a gleeful air of superiority.

"It is as you say!" Fluder concurs: "I am not fit to even be in his Majesty's presence! Just being given the privilege of laying my eyes upon your unfathomable power is enough that I could die happy!" The old man bellows rhapsodically with tears in his eyes.

"…I-is that so? Nevertheless, you may rise," I stutter incredulously

"Thank you, Your Grace!" He says while clambering unceremoniously to his feet.

... This guy is so overbearing!

"Ahem… Fluder, I am curious: what has brought you here today?" I question, not wanting to allow his fanaticism to grow anymore.

As I had hoped, the wizard brings a hand up to sagaciously stroke the beard of his now-stern face.

Talk about doing a complete 180! At this moment, I can almost see him as the wise headmaster of a kingdom's imperial magic academy.

"Ahem, right… forgive me, Ainz Ooal Gown-sama, I got a bit carried away. I humbly present myself before you-"

I raise a hand and the old man's lips stop moving immediately, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Forgive my interruption, but I grow weary of hearing my full name. I give you permission to refer to me as Ainz-sama from now on. You may continue".

"Of course, as you wish, Ainz-sama. I present myself before you today with a heavy heart: Emperor Jircniv has finally stripped me of my position and exiled me from the Baharuth Empire, finding me guilty on account of treason," he confesses with a solemn bow.

"Hmm, this is somewhat sooner than I originally anticipated..." I muse - more for the sake of alluding, since Albedo is here, to the idea that I actually HAVE a plan.

"Forgive me, Ainz-sama," the mage whispers regretfully.

"No, it is not entirely your fault: since the moment I took you in as my disciple I knew it would come to this eventually, it was only a matter of time... and your exile will be of little consequence provided that you successfully completed the task I entrusted to you," I say in a deliberately threatening tone.

I may consider Fluder to be a potentially important asset, but if he fails me, I will not hesitate to eliminate him in order to maintain my appearance to the guardians and tie up a potentially catastrophic loose end. The Supreme Ruler of Nazarick would never afford a second chance to a mere human who has only just recently sworn fealty.

Fortunately, however, it seems I won't have to take any drastic measures:

"Of course, Ainz-sama!" Fluder beams proudly: "as you had requested, I compiled the histories of every nation on this continent concerning the last 300 years - as far back as our records go," he boasts proudly, producing a rather thick leather book from within his robe.

I nod my head and Albedo steps forward to accept the documentation and quickly flips through it.

After a few moments, she looks to me and nods her head.

"Hmm, you have done well, Fluder. I am pleased" I commend.

"Your gratitude is wasted on one as insignificant as me. I live to serve you, Ainz-sama!" he assures, his voice laden with just a little too much enthusiasm.

It's hard to believe he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Baharuth Empire for nearly two centuries, given how nonchalantly he betrays it now… I suppose that only serves as a testament to how much his dedication to the arcane arts supersedes everything else.

I'll have to be mindful of how shallow his loyalty runs. Although, it could be said that his devotion towards me will not falter so long as I remain to be the epitome of magical knowledge. That is to say, it will not falter at all.

Ah, all this thinking is really tiring me out... I could use some rest.

"Is there anything else you wish to discuss, Fluder, or shall you be on your way now?" I ask, eager to wrap things up here.

"Aherm, about that, Ainz-sama… indeed, since I have been exiled from my native empire, the only place I ever called home, I was hoping that…" he trails off, lowering his head so that his quiet mumblings get muffled by his beard.

Not that I needed him to finish the sentence to see where he was going...

"Ah, how foolish of me to have forgotten your circumstances already. I assume this means you wish to reside here?" I ask knowingly.

The old man's eyes widen:

"I am undeserving of such a kind offer, Ainz-sama: but should you see it to be fit, I shall be eternally grateful!"

"I have no issues. You have served me faithfully these past weeks: I am not so callous as to turn my back on someone who has proven their worth. Albedo," I address the overseer beside me.

"Yes, Ainz-sama?"

"Speak with Sebas and find a suitable living space to accommodate the newest denizen of Nazarick".

"Understood, Ainz-sama," the succubus replies with a courteous bow.

"Oh Ainz-sama! Thank you for this glorious opportunity!" Fluder exclaims ecstatically before grovelling on the floor again.

And just like that, the erudite wizard Fluder has disappeared; replaced once again by this senile geezer.

A veritable Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It's kinda off-putting...

"O-opportunity?" I repeat.

"Yes! Why, the opportunity to expand my understanding of the arcane arts under your tutelage, master!"

Hearing a two-hundred-year-old man refer to me as master just doesn't feel right...

"E-er right… how go your studies with the book of the dead?" I inquire awkwardly.

"Ah yes! The sacred text - my most coveted belonging! I've been studying it intently on a daily basis, Ainz-sama!"

"'Sacred text', is it..?" I murmur pensively.

Huh… in Yggdrasil, the book of the dead is just a basic-level tome that, when used by a player, would give them a skill point for the base-necromancy class. It could be bought at most capital-city spell shops for a fairly nominal price.

But could it be the thing responsible for the perceptible increase in Fluder's power since I last saw him? Is it possible he was actually able to digest its contents and apply them intuitively?

This is certainly worth investigating. This guy's aptitude for magic is nothing to scoff at. I wonder how powerful he could get, living here..?

"G-good. I'm glad you're making good use of it," I finally reply.

"It's been very enlightening, actually… though there are a few concepts I struggle to comprehend regarding the conception of reanimation and the roots of its power, and I was hoping that you could impart your knowledge upon-"

I raise a hand to stop him in his tracks:

"Oh, well, would you look at the time! I have that… that thing to do! Indeed I almost forgot! I must depart, wait here until someone comes and fetches you. They shall bring you to your living quarters. Perhaps another time, we can peer into the abyss of magic together. Farewell!" I declare with feigned enthusiasm.

But the old man's eyes begin overflowing with tears of joy nonetheless:

"Very well, Ainz-sama! I anxiously await your guidance!"

I nod my head and prepare to activate the ring of AOG -

"Wait!" Fluder suddenly cries: "excuse me, oh Great One… I didn't mention anything at first because I thought it would be rude of me… but I am dying to know, for what purpose have you taken a human appearance?"

Hmm… even though I'm sure Fluder would not betray me at this current point in time, I do not believe I should divulge the details - as I have disclosed to the guardians - of this 'race changing' spell: I do not want other countries to learn of my predicament. Not yet, at least.

I should begin my research in earnest tomorrow. Who knows, I may actually be able to turn this into a spell that CAN allow me to fluidly alter race... after all, I have plenty of free time and a near-infinite amount of knowledge at my disposal in the form of Nazarick's library.

"Ah, it is simply an advanced illusion spell I have been working on lately. Is it convincing?" I lie.

"Ah! Yes, it is very convincing, my Lord! Marvelous! In fact, I can sense a heartbeat - and there's a glimmer of perspiration on your forehead! I have never seen a more convincing illusion in all my life!

"A-ah, thank you," I mutter awkwardly.

"No, thank you! For indulging my curiosity!"

"Answering the questions of a disciple is what a master does, is it not? In any case... farewell, Fluder".

And before he can say anything else, I quickly activate my ring, teleporting to my chambers.

I immediately collapse onto my bed.

Suzuki Satoru, you've outdone yourself this time! See, even without the assistance of an expressionless undead face or an emotion suppressor, I'm doing fine!

Though it was pretty difficult… and it's only been one day… and I still have no way to revert back…

... never mind, I'm not doing fine at all!

But that's a problem for another day - another me. because current me is on the brink of passing out.

I bury my face in my pillow and take a deep, fulfilling breath.

... What is this scent?

It reminds me of Albedo for some reason…

taking inspiration from the scent, my mind drifts back to the time spent in the bath today:

Albedo's silky black hair, matted to her pristine ivory skin, cascading over her buxom chest…

Her piercing golden eyes, alight with lust.

The sway of her curvy backside as she strutted away.

The-

Ah!

I bury my face even deeper into my pillow. What am I thinking of now, all of a sudden?! I need to capitalize on as much sleep as possible while I can: after all, playing the role of a Supreme Ruler while overtired is bound to lead to complications...

…

"1001 manglyan sheep, 10002 manglyan sheep, 10003 manglyan sheep… haaaaah..."

I sigh defeatedly. I've been tossing and turning for over an hour now without sleeping a wink! I've even resorted to counting sheep as a last-ditch effort - it's the first time in my life I've ever bothered trying, and I gotta say... I feel slightly betrayed by all the bedtime stories and lullabies I had heard as a child because CLEARLY, this widely-preached tactic is nothing by a farce!

My mind is dwelling on… well, everything!

Now that I'm officially wired, I need something to do that will tire me out if I intend to get any sleep tonight… but what?

For one, I'm too tired to actually go anywhere outside of Nazarick, and I'm certainly not mentally rested enough to do any research in the library…

I certainly can't see Albedo…. Demiurge is away at one of his experimentation plants… and the twins are likely asleep right now as well.

Shalltear?

No.

Definitely no. Although I'm sure she would appreciate a visit...

so then I guess that leaves-

[Ainz. Sama].

A bassy voice suddenly rings out in my head, causing me to nearly roll off my bed in fright.

W-was that..?

I press a finger to my temple.

[Cocytus, what is it?] I inquire tentatively.

[Forgive me for contacting you, Ainz-sama, for it is not an emergency. But I have completed all necessary tasks for today and was wondering if you had come to a verdict in regards to my earlier request]

He's really itching for a fight, huh? Unfortunately for him, I've had a million other things on my mind.

[No, forgive me, Cocytus, I-]

Wait! Actually… this may be a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone! What a godsend!

[...actually, Cocytus, I will come visit you on the 5th floor in a moment].

[Understood. Ainz-sama].

Beep.

I spring up from my bed: it's time to see what this human body is capable of!

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The 5th floor of Nazarick.

A bitter yet beautiful landscape - an expansive icy tundra as far as the eye can see in any direction.

In times of defence, this entire floor is enveloped in a cruel, violent blizzard, which cannot be dispelled by any means, not even with the use of high-tier spells like [Control Weather]. The blizzard not only obscures vision, but, if necessary measures aren't taken, the merciless ice pellets being blown about will inflict ice damage over time and have a minor [Slow] effect.

Cocytus, as guardian of this floor, has free reign over the climate. He usually maintains a rather harsh environment, regardless of whether or not there are enemies, as he thrives in such conditions and enjoys the cold.

But hearing that I would be arriving, he seems to have toned it down significantly for my sake.

Now the entire floor resembles a breathtaking winter wonderland.

large, fluffy snowflakes trickle gently down from the beautiful sable sky - without so much as a single cloud or star to be seen, the unobstructed full moon single-handedly bathes the entire landscape in a pale light, accentuating the ground's silver-blue sheen.

About fifty metres away, I can see Cocytus' home: a formidable pillar of electric-blue ice jutting directly out of the ground, with perfectly smooth, reflective walls, and geometric peaks. The imposing palace of gemstone-like ice scintillates much more brilliantly under the artificial moonlight than typical ice.

Admiring the view, I take a deep breath of the cool winter air, invigorating my senses.

"Welcome. Ainz-sama." Cocytus greets, emerging from the large doorway of his home.

He drops to his knee immediately and bows his head.

"You may rise, Cocytus" I command.

"Thank. You. May. I. Ask. What. The. Reason. Behind. Your. Visit. Is. Ainz-sama?"

"I come tonight in order to fulfill your desire, Cocytus" I reply confidently.

"Hmm?" The guardian muses curiously: "My. Request? But. I. Do. Not. Sense. Another. Floor. Guardian. Within. Our. Vicinity"

"It seems you misunderstand, Cocytus," I say with a grin: "I will be your opponent".

"-!" Cocytus dips his head in contemplation, his mandibles clicking together anxiously. After a few moments, he raises his head tentatively.

"Ainz-sama. I. Could. Not. Possibly. Battle. With. You."

"Why not?"

The insectoid warrior hesitates for only a moment before giving his answer:

"If. I. Were. To. Hurt. You. Ainz-sama. I. Would. Never. Forgive. Myself. It. Is. Against. My. Very. Existence".

I smile. I had a feeling he'd be a little reluctant at first.

"Hmm, I anticipated such a response… however, you should know this, Cocytus: I am not just doing this for your sake, but for my own personal gain as well. You see, I need more practice in my [Perfect Warrior] form. This is also the perfect opportunity to test this new body of mine in real combat. Also, it is only a sparring match - surely you are not so inexperienced as a warrior as to fail at stopping your blade from delivering an accidental fatal blow?" I jeer.

I watch with amusement as Cocytus twitches indignantly at the underestimation of his skill.

"Of. Course. Not. Ainz-sama." he assures confidently.

"Then there are no issues?"

"I… suppose. Not. Ainz-sama." he concedes after a small bit of deliberation.

"Excellent. We will begin immediately. However, I am fully aware that you far outclass me as a warrior in both skill and experience: and so to even the playing field a bit and grant you the heart-racing challenge you desire…"

I raise both hands in the air and cry out loudly:

"[Create High Tier Undead]!"

The very air around us shudders, and a turbulent gust of wind sweeps over us, carrying with it the unmistakable stench of death - which I find, perplexingly enough, to be a rather endearing scent now.

On either side of me, the ice splits open like bursting pustules, spewing forth two foreboding summons.

Pale Riders, level 70 undeads, are formidable creatures:

The skeletal horses, twice as big as normal horses, whinny in a harrowing manner while their red-glowing eyes burn brightly within their hollow sockets. The riders themselves are no less intimidating than their steeds: They're covered head to toe in jet-black full plate mail, with spikes protruding out from the shoulder guards, boots, and kneecaps: the armor's opaque surface swirls ominously with shifting shadows, as though it were crafted from the night sky itself. Through the thin visor of their horned helms, their piercing blue eyes glisten coldly like blue flames. A sinister black mist emanates from their armor - or body, I can't honestly tell - which collects in a trail behind them to form a translucent, murky cape.

One is wielding a ridiculously huge greatsword, and the other, a double-bitted great axe.

"[Perfect Warrior]" I chant, donning my own raven-black armor and onyx blades. I level a sword towards Cocytus.

"Cocytus! I, Ainz-Ooal Gown, Supreme Ruler of the Underground Tomb of Nazarick, challenge you to a duel!" I bellow.

In response to my roar, both Pale Riders raise their weapons high in the air as their skeletal steeds rear up on their hind legs while letting out a mighty screech:

"Kiiiiiiiiek!"

_Fssssssssssssssh!_

Cocytus lets out a blast of cold air and stamps his right foot excitedly, cracking the ice beneath him.

"A. Fine. Battle. Cry! An. Opening. Befitting. Of. The. Supreme. One! Very. Well! I. Accept. Your. Challenge!" He shouts powerfully. Two of his arms reach out to his side: one grasps the divine-class [God Slaying Emperor Blade] katana out of thin air, and the other, his trusty halberd, [Decapitation Fang].

"Come!" He roars.

_Badump Badump Badump_!

My heart is racing! Its been a while since I've felt adrenaline coursing through my veins, the simultaneous honing of all my senses. I may actually be a better warrior like this than in my undead form.

"Prepare yourself, Cocytus!" I shout excitedly.

Focusing my strength into my legs, I surge forward like a rocket with explosive speed and power, rupturing the surface of the ice I had jumped from. I soar through the air and raise both greatswords high above my head before swinging them downwards with every ounce of my strength:

_CLANG!_

The clashing of metal echos out through the plains, as Cocytus effortlessly blocks my attack by raising his own blades in an X.

"Not. Bad. Ainz-sama!" the insect guardian commends before pushing mightily, repelling me away from him. I skid across the ice for several metres before coming to a stop after digging my swords into the ground.

... What physical power!

At this point, both Pale Riders have charged forward and begun circling Cocytus.

"Hmm…" Cocytus grunts, darting his head back and forth calculatingly as he sizes up the opponents on either side of him.

Suddenly, the skeletal horses let out a beastly roar and charge inwards, approaching Cocytus from the front and the back in a pincer attack.

For a stand-alone warrior to properly repel an attack coming from both sides simultaneously from mounted opponents, and emerge unscathed, is almost impossible.

However…

Cocytus stamps his foot on the ground, sending forth an eruption of large icicles to snake along the ground towards the Pale Rider in front. Its horse, startled by the sudden obstacle, ceases its charge.

The one from behind is now within striking distance, and after an enormous wind-up, fiercely swings its greatsword down towards Cocytus' head.

But the guardian raises a blade and expertly deflects the powerful swing, allowing the sword which is many times thicker and heavier than his own, to glide off the surface of his katana.

_Shhhhhhhhhhing!_

Then, in a practiced movement, Cocytus swiftly spins around and swings his halberd in a sweeping motion at lightning speed, successfully lopping off the horse's front and back legs on its right side.

The steed lets out a pained screech before promptly falling to the ground and crumbling into a worthless pile of bones and dust. At the same time, the rider is violently launched into the air, before hitting the ice and tumbling for several metres. It gets up on shaky legs and eyes Cocytus reproachfully. The other Pale Rider has trotted back around to my side in uncertainty, awaiting instructions. It dips its head apologetically.

As expected of Cocytus…

I look to both knights and they nod their heads with a bow of tacit understanding - as my summons, words are not needed to convey my thoughts.

The black knight still on his horse turns and begins galloping away.

"Hmm? Why. Have. You. Ordered. Your. Summon. To. Run. Away?" Cocytus inquires.

"Perhaps you should focus on the enemies before you, Cocytus!" I cry out as I begin to sprint towards him. The other Pale Rider on foot is following close behind me.

I leap into the air, wielding one of my swords in a reverse grip. I cock my arm back and take aim.

"[Flame Sword]!" I cry out and hurl the blade, now engulfed in a fiery veil, with all my might towards Cocytus.

_Fwoom!_

At the same time, the Pale Rider below me raises a shadowy gauntlet and fires off a sixth-tier [Fanged Dragon Lightning].

We both continue to charge, trailing in the wake of our attacks.

My sword whistles through the air from above as the thunder drake surges forward, slithering erratically through air.

"Grah!" Cocytus bellows, and with a stomp his foot, erects a thick wall of ice in front of him.

_Crik-foooooooosh!_

My sword comes to an abrupt halt, embedding itself deeply within the ice. An explosion of steam blasts outwards as the flame of my blade is extinguished, encompassing the area in a dense white shroud.

Having incurred enough structural damage, the ice barrier quickly crumbles apart and my blade clatters uselessly to the ground.

Tch. If I were just a bit stronger, it would have travelled all the way through. Nevertheless...

"Grooooooooo!" the fanged dragon lets out a thunderous growl as it surges forward, viciously, through the cloud of steam while opening its maw with the intent to devour Cocytus.

Swinging his halberd, Cocytus slashes through the electric drake, dispersing most of the magic into a harmless spray of bright-yellow sparks: though some of the electricity had still been conducted through the blade itself, leaving Cocytus' hand to smoulder as a result, letting off a faint black smoke.

The Pale Rider, which had been following its own spell, reaches Cocytus before me and swings its greatsword mightily from the hip.

The floor guardian parries the attack and retaliates with an upward slice of his own with the emperor blade, which the Pale Rider just barely manages to evade by nimbly jumping back, before immediately leaping forward once again with a vicious thrust.

_Clang!_

I pick up my fallen greatsword and charge towards Cocytus' back.

He and the Pale Rider are locked in combat, their blades currently pressed together - now is my chance!

I take an overhead swing at Cocytus' shoulder.

-!

Just in time, Cocytus' two other empty hands jut out from his side and grab my swords between his fingers, stopping them just inches away from his neck. I press down as hard as I can, trying to drive my blades just a bit further.

"A. Valiant. Effort. Ainz-sama." the guardian commends.

Just then, in the corner of my eye, I see his powerful tail whip towards me at break-neck speed.

Wrenching my blades from Cocytus' grasp, I just barely manage to lower them in time to block it.

_THUD!_

"Hurk!" I grunt as the tail slams into me like a truck, launching me to spiral wildly through the air. Somehow, I miraculously manage to land back on my feet, and, embedding my swords deep into the ground, I manage to slow my skidding and avoid falling over.

My wrists begin to ache dully from having blocked such an incredible force, and before I can even consider jumping back into the fray -

with a practiced flick of the wrist, I witness Cocytus cleanly disarm the Pale Rider before him, flinging its greatsword high into the air.

Now staggered and off-balance, with no weapon left to defend itself, its fate is sealed.

_Slice!_

The [God Slaying Emperor Blade] effortlessly cleaves the rider in two at the waist, as if its armor was made of paper.

Both halves of the rider's body tumble to the ground unceremoniously and writhe for a disoriented moment before sublimating entirely into black smoke.

Cocytus turns around to face me, his mandible clicking triumphantly:

"Good. Effort. Ainz-sama. However. Now. That. It. Is. A. 1v1. Do. You. Truly. Believe. You. Have. A. Chance. As. A. Warrior?"

For the briefest moment, at Cocytus' almost condescending tone, a dishonourable thought crosses my mind: if I were to cancel [Perfect Warrior] now and fight him as a mage, I would likely be able to win. However, I promised Cocytus a proper match between two warriors, and I don't intend to go back on my word. Ainz Ooal Gown is not a liar.

Badump Badump Badump!

My heart beats furiously - the drumming of a warrior.

I smile. Yes, this is how it should be!

"No, Cocytus, I still have a chance… it's not over until it's over! Or have you forgotten that the name Ainz Ooal Gown has never known defeat?!" I cry out, racing towards him once again.

"I. Respect. Your. Resolve. However…"

_Clang!_

Our blades connect with a discordant shriek and a flash of light.

Without missing a beat, I swing my other sword wildly towards Cocytus' side.

His halberd intercepts it.

We both look each other in the eyes, our weapons pressed against one another.

The calm before the storm.

And then...

as if we had decided to do so ahead of time, we both jump back from each other at the same time before quickly charging forward head-to-head once more.

_Clang! Shink! Booom!_

We meet each other blow for blow, in a battle-trance frenzy: a flurry of reciprocating parries, blocks, deflects, and ripostes. Powerful shockwaves explode out from every connection, every flash of metal, cracking the ground around us. The whole floor seems to quake in resonance with our strikes, as faraway snowbanks crumble and icicles hanging from Cocytus' home fall to the ground.

_Fwish!_

A mighty swing of Cocytus' Halberd forces me to jump back, creating a lull in our rhythmic battle.

I pant heavily, regaining my breath.

"Perhaps. You. Should. Consider. Another. Tactic. Other. Than. A. Head. On. Assault?" Cocytus suggests.

And then, I hear it:

_Tshhhhhhhhh_!

A long-winded intake of breath on Cocytus' part, and the temperature of the air around us suddenly drops several degrees. My eyes widen in realization.

He's about to-!

"[Frost Breath]," he hisses lowly, his mandibles spreading far apart: the back of his mouth begins to glow with a faint blue light, the essence of winter itself.

_Fwoooooooosh_!

Recognizing what was happening just in time, I twist my torso away, just barely managing to lean under the enormous beam of ice emitted from Cocytus' mouth. The frigid cold radiating from the beam speeding over me - just a few inches above my face - mercilessly assails my face, desiccating my eyes and making it feel as though the very blood in my head was coagulating.

If that had hit me dead on, that surely would've ended me. I got careless and forgot that since I'm no longer undead, I'm much more susceptible to frost damage...

The icy guardian refuses to give me even a moment of respite, and as soon as the vicious breath attack concludes, he leaps forward, driving his blade down towards me in an overhead strike, forcing me to roll out of the way.

_Crish!_

Cocytus' blade sinks deep into the permafrosted ground where I had stood just a moment ago, spewing a scattershot of icy shards into the air. I quickly scramble to my feet and thrust my sword towards Cocytus' face, hoping to take advantage of this brief opening.

I inwardly thank Clementine, for had it not been for the fight I had with her which clearly displayed how much I was lacking as a warrior, I would not have practiced such nimble movements.

But Cocytus merely tilts his head to the side, allowing my greatsword to glide innocuously past the side of his face.

He counters with a thrust of his own, using his halberd; but, like I remember seeing many times in some over-the-top action samurai movies, I raise my foot into the air and stomp downwards on Cocytus' blade, driving it deep into the ground under my boot.

"-!" Cocytus gasps, nearly inaudibly, in surprise as he staggers forward from the sudden downward force exerted on his blade.

"Hrm!" I grunt out, rotating my entire body to swing both my swords with all my might at Cocytus' exposed side.

He manages to raise his sword, but it isn't enough.

The force of my double strike, into which I committed all of my body weight with complete disregard to defence, is too much for his one stationary sword to block: my blow plows right through his guard and slams into his side.

_Crik!_

"_Erk!" _Cocytus grunts in pain as a perceptible crack forms in the side of his exoskeleton.

My eyes widen in surprise.

I did it! I actually dealt damage!

But my sense of triumph is short-lived.

Cocytus quickly tears his blade out from under my foot, and, as I was too distracted by my small victory, I stumble off balance. A masterful swing, too fast to dodge, cleaves its way towards me.

Shit!

_CRACK!_

The emperor blade penetrates right through my armor and slashes into my gut: a spray of blood splatters out of my stomach, staining the icy ground, and the sickening sound of bones - ribs - breaking, echos out as I'm lifted off of my feet and sent hurdling away.

_Bwoom!_

I come to an abrupt halt as I careen into a snowbank.

Through Cocytus's clemency, however, the sword's trajectory and power was offset at the last second so that it wouldn't cut right through me.

I let out a pained grunt and clutch at my abdomen. I glance down at the red-leaking gash in my armour and grimace. Ah, the first real injury I've incurred since becoming human. This sensation is not one that I had missed...

"Ainz-sama! Are. You. Alright!" Cocytus shouts with worry.

"I am fine, Cocytus. You managed to attenuate your swing just in time before it could do serious damage. A [middle cure wounds] will be more than enough to heal this"

_Fshhhhhhhhhhh!_

Cocytus huffs happily, then proceeds to plant both weapons into the ground victoriously.

"Ainz-sama! That. Was. A. Truly. Intense. Battle. Your. Skills. As. A. Warrior. Far. Exceeded. My. Excpectations! Your. Attacks. Were. Strong. And. That. Strange. Technique. I. Had. Never. Seen. Before. When. You. Stomped. On. My. Blade... Incredible! Even. Your. Summons. Were. Enjoyable. To. Fight! As. Expected. Of-"

"Hoh? Cocytus, you talk as if the fight is over" I muse shrewdly.

"Hmm? But.-" Cocytus begins.

When suddenly:

"Kiiiiiiiiiiek!" A blood-curdling screech rings out from behind Cocytus.

The icy guardian whirls around in shock to face the second Pale Rider bearing down on him at breakneck speed, already within striking distance.

It's the Pale Rider which I sent away earlier, of course. I ordered it to cast [Silence] on itself and circle around to Cocytus' blindside from a great distance, undetected, without so much as a single sound.

"-!" unable to redraw or raise either of his weapons in time, all Cocytus can do is turn his body ever so slightly to ensure that the attack hits him in his most armored area: his shoulder.

_CLANG, CRK! _

A devastating swing of the Pale Rider's great axe connects with Cocytus' shoulder, and a sizeable crack forms at the place of impact. The black knight continues to gallop past him to avoid a retaliating strike.

With his back now turned to me, with the last of my strength, I heave my sword once last time at Cocytus:

"[Flame sword]!" I cry out as one of my blades leaves my hand, burning brightly.

_Fwoosh!_

Much to my chagrin, Cocytus manages to recover from the Pale Rider's attack extremely quickly and successfully deflects my sword at the last second, in such an expert fashion that he even managed to avoid triggering the sword's fiery explosion.

Then, without even taking a moment to consciously aim, Cocytus whirls back around and launches his katana with a grunt.

It sails through the air at an incredible velocity, too fast for my eyes to track, and runs right through the chest of the unsuspecting Pale Rider just as it had begun to turn back around. The summon looks down in shock at the blade protruding from its chest, and the horse rears up on its hind legs and whinnies lamentably. The rider tumbles off, writhing in pain, before both he and the horse begin fading to nothingness.

After all, the Rider is the actual summon - so when it is killed, its steed automatically perishes as well.

It seems that in the end, the discrepancy between a level 70 summon and a level 100 guardian was too vast, and even with the element of surprise and the momentum of a galloping horse, the Pale Rider could not inflict a meaningful amount of damage.

I watch my last summon vanish and a small chuckle escapes my lips.

"Ahaha… well done, Cocytus, the victory is yours" I concede.

"Ainz-sama. I. Am. Both. Moved. And. Humbled. By. Your. Tenacity. As. A. Warrior. And. Your. Formidable. Strategy: Had. The. Horse. Not. Whinnied. At. The. Last. Second. That. Rider. Would've. Been. Able. To. Inflict. A. More. Damaging. Wound... You. Yourself. Even. Cracked. My. Armour. In. Two. Spots… It. Is. My. Loss." he admits with a dutiful bow.

"No, Cocytus. The victor is not decided by whose strategy had the most potential, or who landed the most successful strikes… in the end, the victor is decided only by the deliverance of a final, irrefutably decisive blow; and so in light of that, it's plain to see…" I trail off with a wince, motioning to my wounded belly: "that the victor is you. And besides... you didn't even bother to use four weapons," I comment bitterly.

"Thank. You. Ainz-sama. I. Shall. Accept. Your. Concession. Graciously… Thank. You. For. Fulfilling. The. Request. Of. This. Undeserving. Guardian. I. Thoroughly. Enjoyed. Duelling. With. You." he says, dropping to one knee.

"Cocytus… the winner should not kneel before the loser," I chastise lightheartedly, chuckling lightly while slowly staggering my way towards him.

I come to a stop right before him, and he raises his head to look up at me.

I place a hand on his shoulder.

"It was fun," I say with a thoughtful smile.

_Fssssssssssh!_

"Yes… It. Was. Fun. Ainz-sama!"

I remove my hand from his numbingly cold shoulder and cancel [Perfect Warrior], returning to my more comfortable robes.

With my mana now unlocked, I can now tend to our wounds.

"[Middle Heal-Wound]" I chant. A mystical green light envelops both Cocytus and me, and our wounds begin to heal immediately. The cracks in Cocytus's armour, as well as the shallow gash in my belly, all seal within a few seconds.

"Thank. You. Ainz-sama".

"Don't mention it".

I take a seat in the snow next to Cocytus.

"Ainz-sama-!" He begins to protest.

"Cocytus, do not worry, it is not uncomfortable. I am not such a snobbish ruler that I require a throne wherever I sit," I assure.

Cocytus nods his head, albeit a bit reluctantly.

Silence.

We both merely gaze around at the tranquil environment. The snow has stopped falling completely, making it appear as though time itself has come to a stop.

A chilly wind howls over the horizon, and I take a deep breath.

"Cocytus…" I begin quietly, not wanting to completely disrupt the atmospheric silence.

"Yes. Ainz-sama?" He says, tilting his head to face me.

"Your home… is very beautiful," I admire.

He turns back around just in time for the sun to peek over the horizon.

The sunrise, it looks so real…

'Yes… Yes. It. Is," Cocytus concurs.

I nod my head.

The dawn of a new day...

there is much to be done.

.

.

.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: sorry for being a bit late on this update, end-of-school grind kicked in and I've been scrambling between summatives… one more week left and then I'm off, meaning more frequent updates :D. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5:

"The Girl Who Cried Wolf"

**POV Aura**

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**(6th floor of Nazarick)**

"Good morning, Momonga-sama! Good morning, Momonga-sama!" a cutesy voice rings out from a small wristwatch placed delicately on a bedside table, proclaiming the dawn of a new day.

My eyes flash open—today is the day!

"Alright!" I cry out, leaping off of my bed with a wide grin.

Upon landing, I twirl around to shoot a disapproving look at my brother in the bunk below.

"Mare! Get up already!" I scold emphatically, placing both hands on my hips.

A pair of heterochromatic eyes groggily flutter open.

"J-just… five more minutes, sis..." he protests sleepily before promptly rolling over and turning his back to me.

I won't be having any of that on a day as special as today!

"Mareeeeeeeee!" I whine, yanking the blankets off of him with a quick tug.

"E-eh?! Why are you even more energetic than usual today?!" he whines indignantly, shielding his face from the aureate sunlight filtering into our room.

"Why? Mare, Ainz-sama is coming to visit us today so that I can show him all of the beasts I've been nurturing this past week!"

Indeed, it hadn't been an easy task, even for a proficient beast-master like myself, to properly tend to and accommodate for so many different low-level beasts in such a short amount of time. Convincing my pets to finally stop cannibalizing their weaker compatriots was pretty darn hard, and they've only just recently begun to play with each other. No babies yet, but that'll take a few more weeks.

"Ehhhhh?! A-ainz-sama is coming here?!" Mare cries out, frantically scrambling to his feet.

I grin. I don't think I've ever seen him get out of bed so soon after waking up!

"Yep! That's more like it, Mare! Now let's hurry up and eat, he said he'd be here… in around thirty minutes from now. That'll give us enough time to clean up around here as well and-"

Suddenly, my keen ears twitch.

Footsteps outside… don't tell me-!

_Knock Knock Knock._

"Urk-!" I gasp in surprise.

Could he be early?!

"A-aura-!" Mare tugs at my sleeve in a fluster, shooting a furtive glance towards the door before looking down at his own attire— a dark green onesie— with a blush.

I sigh exasperatedly.

"Alright, alright, I get it! You don't want to answer the door in your PJ's… yeesh…" I mutter, shrugging Mare's hand off my sleeve and tentatively walking towards the entrance.

This presence… there's no mistaking it, it's Ainz-sama!

I finally come to the door of our large treehouse, and, after taking a brief moment to adjust my hair, reach for the doorknob—I can't keep Ainz-sama waiting any longer!

_Creeeeeak_

Immediately after opening the door, I drop to one knee.

"Good morning, Ainz-sama!" I cry out cheerfully.

"Hmm, good morning Aura. Please, do not kneel for me in your own home: I am the one imposing myself on you right now," he explains in a deep, manly voice.

My heart skips a beat.

Ainz-sama is so cool and humble! Out of all the Supreme Beings, I'm glad it was him that decided to stay behind! I'm still not used to this human form but… it's just as amazing and regal as his true self in my opinion!

"A-ainz-sama, you could never 'impose' on anyone!"

"Is that so? And yet it seems I have inconvenienced you by arriving early, I apologize," the overlord adds with a slight bow of his head.

The Supreme One, bowing his head?!

"N-no Ainz-sama! You are not inconveniently early at all! I've been ready for your arrival for a while!" I lie.

"Ah… so you mean to say that you intended to greet me in your pyjama's?" he asks curiously, reaching down to pinch the fabric on my shoulder for emphasis.

?

I look down at my apparel: a dark-red onesie. I dip my head lower in an attempt to hide the blush that's surely manifesting on my face.

"Gah! A-ainz-sama!" I squeak self-consciously, my mind racing to think of an excuse.

How could I have been so careless?! To greet the Supreme One like this is simply unaccepta—!

"Ahahahaha!" the overlord suddenly erupts in laughter, cutting off my stuttering thoughts.

That laugh…

So rich, warm, and powerful...

I shake my head slightly, suppressing another blush. Stay focused Aura! He's here for business!

"You do not need to explain yourself, Aura. Please, take a few minutes to get ready for the day. I will wait for you out here".

!

"Ainz-sama! Please come in, you don't have to wait outside!"

He raises a hand and my voice catches in my throat.

"No, it's quite alright… it is a beautiful day and I think I will enjoy it for as long as possible," he explains with a contented sigh.

"Understood, Ainz-sama! I will get ready as quickly as possible!" I assure with a salute: "Then, if you'll excuse me!"

just as I start closing the door, however, a meek voice calls out from behind me:

"U-um! A-ainz-sama!" Mare shouts, peeking around the corner of our bedroom.

"Good morning, Mare. What is it?" Ainz-sama inquires, looking over my head.

"A-ah yes, good m-morning, Ainz-sama! I just… wanted to thank you for letting me use the library yesterday… i-it was fun!" he cries out before sheepishly ducking behind the wall again.

He's so hopeless!

"Mare! It's rude to hide from the person you're having a conversation with!" I groan.

"S-sorry…" comes the quiet reply—though he still doesn't show himself.

Hiding from Ainz-sama like this..! I'll be sure to give him a piece of my mind lat—!

A strong hand suddenly lands on my shoulder, causing my entire body to tense up. A warm tingle runs down my spine, originating from the point of contact, as I turn around and look up to face the Supreme One.

"A-ainz-sama…" I trail off in a fluster.

"Do not give Mare such a hard time, Aura. Now, go get ready," he says with a nod.

"H-hai! Excuse me!" I say while closing the door, a bit reluctantly.

…

Thirty seconds later, I swing the door open, now donning my typical red-and-white uniform, with a triumphant grin.

"All set, Ainz-sama!" I declare jubilantly.

He looks at me incredulously, and it appears as though he was just in the process of sitting down on a tree stump not too far away.

Maybe I should have purposely taken longer to give him more time to enjoy the sun?

But before I can apologize, the overlord flashes a warm, absolving smile, dispelling all of my worries.

"Very well, let us go then. I am looking forward to seeing all your beasts, Aura. I'm sure they are prospering under your care," he concludes with such confidence that I feel my face begin to glow warmly.

"U-understood! This way, Ainz-sama!" I call out before leading the way down a narrow path that snakes around the side of our house.

After walking in silence for a short while, I sneak a glance back towards Ainz-sama:

"Hmm-hmm-mmm," he hums quietly while gazing around at the wildlife around us with an ostensibly satisfied expression.

I wonder...

"Ainz-sama... could it be that you enjoy nature?" I venture tentatively.

"Hmm? Ah, yes, I suppose I do… " he begins, pausing momentarily to bring a hand to his chin: "this human form has brought with it a newfound appreciation for the little things in life… the warmth of the sunlight on my skin, the rush of the cool wind through my hair and in my lungs… the world has a great many treasures to offer," he summarizes with a resolute nod.

A great many treasures, huh…

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, tuning my ears to the sounds around us.

The trickling of water from a far-off babbling brook. Millions of blades of grass rustling in tandem with each burst of invigorating air. The melodic chirping of countless birds and insects.

A grin etches its way onto my face.

"I couldn't agree more, Ainz-sama! Ah, we're almost there, you can see the Greels nesting in that tree over there!"

**Zesshi Zutsumei**

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**(Slaine Theocracy Treasury's inner sanctum)**

_Click!_

I smile proudly in admiration of my handiwork.

For the first time since I started toying with this object, I now have four sides of this rubik's cube solved.

But now… I'm bored. What is there to do?

I shoot a scornful glare towards 'Downfall of Castle and Country', hanging in the corner of my chamber. What an eyesore.

I get up from my seat and walk over to the 'legendary artifact'; a snow-white robe with an intricate embroidery of a golden serpent travelling across its length, right down to the hem…

and such ridiculously wide sleeves.

I actually have to wear this thing? I'd much rather wear my typical armour, passed down to me from my great great grandfather, one of the Six God Heroes - now THAT's a legendary artifact.

But this shabby thing which offers no defense? I'll admit its power is somewhat useful, but… then again, it can only control one person at a time, so I fail to see why it's such a coveted item.

Perhaps because the worms of this country cannot recognize true power?

_Knock knock!_

"Come in," I sigh apathetically.

The captain of the Black Scriptures walks in, a bit apprehensively, and shoots me a surprised look as he notices me standing beside the legendary robe.

"Hoh? Zesshi, don't tell me that after all that complaining about its appearance, you've actually grown fond of it?" he teases.

"No, I was merely confirming from up close just how repulsive it is," I spit out in annoyance: "and by the way, there's no need to knock, I can sense you coming a mile away".

"I'll keep that in mind, though I'm afraid I'm much too gentlemanly to just barge into a lady's room," he jokes with a theatrical bow.

"Call me 'lady' one more time and I'll castrate you," I threaten in an icy tone, running my hand absent-mindedly over the robe's golden serpent.

Well-acclimated to my verbal abuse, the captain merely smirks hopelessly.

"Captain, I think..." I begin before trailing off, taking a moment to reconsider my words.

"What is it Zesshi? Have you decided when you'd be willing to journey to Carne village?" he asks hopefully.

I shoot him a contemptuous glare over my shoulder, and a panicked expression crosses his face:

"Don't tell me you've changed your mind and don't plan on doing it at all anymore!? The council will have my head if I tell them that after I just finished saying you would do it…" he explains with a paling complexion.

I smirk.

"On the contrary..." I begin to say, plucking the divine artifact from its hanger. After laying it flat on the bed next to me, I reach down and yank off my boots, throwing them haphazardly to the side.

"What are you…?" The captain begins to ask, before I promptly strip off my pants and sweater in one swift motion.

"What the—!" The captain cries out in surprise, averting his gaze towards the ceiling: "Z-zesshi, what are you doing?! Have you no shame?!" he berates in a flustered voice.

"No… because I know that you know if you look, I will kill you," I state plainly,

"F-fair point…" he mutters shakily.

I pull the robe over my head—as expected of a magical item, it immediately shrinks and conforms to my body size.

I look in the mirror and my eyes narrow in disgust.

Yep, it looks just as dreadful on me as I expected.

Oh well, if it's only for today…

I slip my boots back on and extend my arm outwards: my trusty war scythe, leaning innocuously against the bedside table, shudders for a moment before flying into my grip.

I nonchalantly sling it over my back and briskly walk past the red-faced captain.

"I'll be heading out now. Tell the cardinals I'll be back by midday".

**POV Ainz**

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**(One hour later)**

"And that concludes the tour, Ainz-sama! Well, what do you think?! Which one was your favourite?!" Aura cries out giddily as her house finally becomes visible in the distance.

We had originally set out simply to observe the 32 species pertaining to the experiment I tasked her with… but then she got a little carried away and suckered me into getting a tour of nearly her entire collection!

She just seemed so excited, I couldn't turn her down!

I nod my head thoughtfully:

"Very interesting Aura, I am pleased. You have many formidable creatures, some of which I have only ever heard of from other members of Ainz Ooal Gown. I really liked those peculiar little fairy dragons," I reply.

"Ah, the fairy dragon! Good choice Ainz-sama, I like that one too! In the wild, they only appear once a year, on the day of the winter solstice in the northern mountains! Just seeing one is said to bring an immense amount of good luck for an entire year!"

"H-hmmm, is that so?" I say lamely, recoiling a bit from her overwhelming excitement.

But I could definitely use some extra luck right about now...

Finally, we round the corner to the front of the treehouse and we both halt in our tracks.

Gulp.

Why are Shalltear and Albedo here, and why do they look so angry?!

Noticing my presence, they both turn to face us, their expressions softening as soon as they see me.

"Aiiiiiiiiinz-sammmmmma!" they both cry out elatedly, running towards us.

Are they going to run me over?!

"Hold it you two!" Aura suddenly yells, taking a step in front of me: "what are you guys even doing here on the 6th—Eep!" she squeaks, flinching in response to the sheer killing intent directed towards her.

"You two… what is the meaning of this?" I ask in as strong a voice as I can muster.

"Ainz-sama!" Albedo cries out, looking between me and Aura with a consternated expression.

"I can't believe it, but here the two of you are!" she wails.

Is... is she crying?!

"A-albedo, what's the matter?!" I ask in concern.

My mind begins racing with a million possibilities of things that could've gone wrong in the hour I've been here in the forest. I look to Shalltear expectantly, as Albedo seems to be in no position to give a coherent response.

Just what could have reduced the guardian overseer to such a lamentable state?!

Shalltear shakes her head gravely.

"Ainz-sama, if this body were capable, I would be crying as well... to think, that you would choose this runt—!" she exclaims, motioning to Aura with both arms in a dramatic fashion: "—over me! And now I can't even use the excuse that you're just more of a boob guy to make myself feel better!" she whines.

Aura and I exchange bewildered looks.

'What in the world is happening?' I convey through my eyes.

'I have no idea,' Aura responds silently with a shake of her head.

Suddenly, Albedo lets out a unnecessarily loud gasp, bringing her hands up to cover her face:

"Wait! Don't tell me that you… you two… just now..! Alone in the forest..!" she blubbers incoherently before breaking down in tears.

"Ahhhhhh! a scandalous sexcapade!" Shalltear shrieks, clutching at the sides of her head before falling to her knees and staring despondently off into the distance.

"W-what are you two talking about?" Aura asks awkwardly.

"Oh how cruel, Aura!" Albedo cries rhapsodically.

"Don't play dumb and pretend like it didn't happen, just to rub it in our faces, we already know!" the vampire seethes.

Know what?!

"I.. I honestly have no idea what you're referring to…" Aura trails off, scratching the back of her head.

I clear my throat.

"Umu. I am also unaware of what you two are talking about".

The succubus and vampire look up at me from the ground with wide, hurt-filled eyes:

"You're really going to make us say it, Ainz-sama?!"

Okay this is getting annoying now! I only have so much patience!

"Yes, I order you to tell me this instant what is troubling you so much," I command.

"You… you…!" Albedo begins, her whole body quivering violently.

"—went on a secret date with Aura, and, in a clandestine location away from all prying eyes, you implanted your seed within her, didn't you Ainz-sama!" Shalltear finishes for the overseer, levying an accusatory finger at me, before beginning to shift it wildly back and forth between me and Aura.

!

Why do these misunderstandings keep happening to me?

So much for fairy dragons giving good luck!

Aura and I slowly turn to face each other.

The dark elf's mouth is moving at an incredibly rapid pace, but no sounds are coming out. When our eyes finally meet, a fierce blush graces her tanned expression and she quickly looks to the ground.

Aura, no!

"Albedo! Shalltear! I-it seems you misunderstand what happened, you see—!" I begin to explain.

"Ainz-sama, please!" Albedo cries woefully, cutting me off.

"We won't believe any excuse you say… after all, it's impossible for any woman to resist your charms after being alone with you for so long in such an exotic location!" Shalltear mutters numbly.

The look on the vampire's face can only be described as suicidal.

I take a moment to languidly wave my hand right in front of her face—no reaction!

She succumbed to her depression so quickly that she's now completely dissociated from reality!

I turn back to Albedo pleadingly.

"A-albedo, surely you'll believe me when I say that I only came here to check in on the beast-training experiment I entrusted to Aura, right? " I implore before tapping Aura on the shoulder, hoping that she'll back me up. She jolts upright under my touch.

"A-ah!" She offers in a panic, struggling to rediscover her voice in the midst of her intensifying blush.

Aura, please!

"Hahh...hahhh," Albedo suddenly begins panting out, wrapping both arms around herself in a tight embrace.

Er...

"A-albedo?" I stammer trepidatiously.

Oh, that look on her face... I don't like that..!

"Alone in the forest with Ainz-sama! Getting hot, sweaty, and primal for an entire hour—becoming one with each other and nature at the same time! Kyaaaaaaaaaa~!" She squeals excitedly.

"G-gah! B-b-becoming one?!" Aura sputters, turning beet-red with a mortified expression.

"Hahhhh… Ainz-sama, please, it isn't fair to tease me with these fantasies!" Albedo wails, throwing herself at my feet.

I'm not teasing you with anything! you invented this entire scenario yourself, you depraved pervert!

I force my mouth to open despite my discomfort:

"Albedo, no, I'm telling you that you're misunder—!"

"Why won't you just have your way with me already, Ainz-sama?! What does this dark elf have that I don't?! We could do it right now! In a field… on a bed of moss… or maybe even on a tree stump! Ooooooh, Ainz-samaaaaaa!" she moans out.

That went from 0 to 100 real fast! And right in front of Aura too!

"T-too much information, Albedo!" I chastise, but she seems too lost in her own self-indulgent daydream to hear me.

_Creeeeeeak!_

The treehouse's door slowly opens up and Mare pokes his head out, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"W-what's going on out here…?" he asks confusedly. His eyes quickly fall on his scarlet-faced sister, fiddling anxiously with her thumbs.

Mare tilts his head to the side curiously.

"Aura? You're back already? You usually last at least three hours before you come-"

but his sentence ends short with painfully comical timing, thanks to an untimely yawn.

"T-three hours?!" Albedo and Shalltear gasp out in disbelief and look to Aura with a blatant glimmer of jealous admiration.

"-back?" Mare finally manages to finish his sentence.

Too little too late, Mare!

"You can endure for three hours, continuously, Aura?!" Albedo presses in disbelief.

The dark-elf girl cocks her head to the side in confusion.

"W-what's the big deal? Sometimes I just get really into it and lose track of time, and end up doing it all day…" she mutters defensively.

...

Ehhhhh Aura, I'm a pretty innocent minded guy, and I know you THINK you're talking about tending to your pets but… even I have to admit, given the context of this conversation so far, that was a pretty explicit innuendo, if ever I've heard one!

And I've heard a lot, having spent a substantial amount of time hanging around Peroroncino-san…

Well, after a comment like that, there's no way I'll be able to change the minds of those two... oh well, guess it's time to really start looking into that [True Death] self-cast I was thinking about researching the other day.

"And yet she only lasted one hour with Ainz-sama… as expected of the supreme one…" Shalltear mutters to herself with a satisfied grin.

A trickle of blood drips from Albedo's nose.

I slap my forehead in defeat.

If there's one thing I've learned today... it's that the supposed 'luck' granted by the fairy dragons is an indefensible farce!

…

_Poof!_

I faceplant into my bed and clench my eyes shut, overcome with fatigue.

And it's only 1:00 p.m!

After an agonizing thirty minutes of explaining and re-explaining, I finally cleared up all of Albedo and Shalltear's misunderstandings in regards to my outing with Aura.

I also made sure to scold Mare to better choose the timing for his yawns.

_Knock Kock!_

I lift my head up from the pillow and look to the door.

"What is it?" I call out in a deep voice.

"Yes, Ainz-sama, sorry to disturb you. A shadow demon is here to see you with an urgent report"

Hmm? A shadow demon? Is it perhaps from Carne village? In that case…

"Very well, send it in immediately" I call out.

The door creaks open and I smile inwardly at the fast-moving shadow which ripples across the floor and comes to a stop at the end of my bed.

It didn't need to open the door, it could've just crept underneath...

"What is it you have to report?" I ask curiously.

"Yes, Aiiiiinz-samaaa" an ethereal voice hisses:

"Lupusregina-san hasssss come in contact with a potentially powerful enemyyy"

…

"Eh?"

**POV Lupusregina (ten minutes earlier)**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Ahhhhhh-hum!" I yawn tiredly, wandering aimlessly down the main street of Carne Village.

Ahhhh why am I still here! There's nothing to do! I know it's important to guard potion boy and Enri but… come on, this place seems fortified enough now! Am I really still needed here?

Can't I move on to something else now, Aiiiiiiiinz-sama?!

"Hahhh…" I sigh, allowing my shoulders to slump melodramatically.

I haven't killed anything in like… three days!

And that's three days too many!

Maybe I'll just go and bug Enri again… it's been about an hour since last I scared her, so it's long overdue!

I close my eyes and take a moment to sniff the air for Enri's scent.

Gotcha! Currently in the stables, huh? I snicker to myself and take a few tip-toeing strides in her direction while activating my invisibility.

"Nishishishi~!" I giggle mischievously: "jump-scaring her will never get old, so at least I'll always have this to do when I'm—heok!" I gasp out in shock and halt in my tracks. I narrow my eyes towards the stable entrance, about forty feet away.

An unfamiliar scent is in there with Enri…

My nostrils flare at the distinct radiation of mana seeping out from inside.

!

Someone powerful! An enemy-? a pang of panic shoots through me, spurring my stride. I bolt down the road in the blink of an eye and come to a stop just outside the stable's open entrance.

Wait, no… there's no killing intent in the air at all, and the heartbeats of both people inside are at rest... perhaps it's just a visitor from another kingdom here to talk with the village chief?

I shake my head in relief. Jeez, I scrambled all the way here for nothing!

Still, this person, whoever they are, is rather strong…

It would be a shame if I didn't introduce myself!

Still invisible, I creep inside with a mischievous grin.

"fufufu~" I cackle to myself softly.

I position myself right behind the new guest and take a moment to size them up.

A small-statured girl in a white flowing robe, with long black-and-white hair. What race is she? An elf? Her skin is almost as pale as Shallty's….

And that giant scythe looming on her back, in direct juxtaposition to her delicate appearance… but there's no doubt about, she has a powerful aura.

I shudder briefly in excitement.

I take a deep breath and open my arms wide.

"Boo—!" I begin to cry out, undoing my invisibility spell.

_Schwing!_

"Eep!" Enri gasps in shock.

I glance down at the scythe, its curved blade hovering dangerously close to my throat, before looking back up at the girl.

I didn't even see her move, when did she—?

!

I feel the blade suddenly prick my skin, and its cool touch sends an instinctive shiver down my spine.

My eyes widen in shock.

Is this scythe made of… silver?!

Gulp. Not good…

An amused grin crosses the girl's face.

"Could you be..?" she trails off in a curious tone.

I raise both hands in surrender.

"Ehehe, okay! So you don't like being scared, you've made your point clear!" I exclaim, tapping on the scythe's tip with my index finger to emphasize my pun.

"..." she stares at me with a blank expression.

"Uwahhh! Not even a smile!?" I complain.

"Tch…" the girl clicks her tongue: "despite your obnoxious loudness and poor sense of humour..." she pauses, taking a moment to quickly scan my entirety from top to bottom: "you seem like you could be fun. That was an interesting invisibility spell, I couldn't even detect you until you deactivated it. Not bad," she commends dryly.

This girl—!

I grit my teeth inconspicuously. The hair on the back of my neck suddenly raises.

Whoever she is... she's trouble.

'Go!' I order telepathically, and the shadow demon residing within my shadow darts away in an instant. Thankfully, the girl didn't seem to notice.

"Z-zesshi-san, wait, that's—!" Enri stammers in a panic, only to be silenced by a cold glare.

"Lupusregina, I know," Zesshi cuts her off, looking intently into my eyes: "I've been looking for you, actually".

I widen my eyes to feign surprise and bring a hand daintily over my mouth:

"Oh, I see! You must have me confused with my twin sister, Lupusregina! Silly you! Oh but don't worry: I, Rupuslegina, would be happy to pass on a message for you if you'd like!" I joke, forcing a smile on my face.

The girl tilts her head to the side in confusion before the realization hits her a moment later, and her eyes narrow in annoyance.

"I was supposed to be in and out as quickly as possible but… after a wisecrack like that, you don't deserve to be left unscathed".

"Wahhhh, tough crowd! How mean!" I whine.

"Besides," the girl continues, ignoring my antics, much to my chagrin: "you look strong: it would be a shame to just use the artifact right away and leave…" she suddenly retracts her scythe from my neck and lowers it to her side.

Artifact..?

"Lupusregina… what say you we go somewhere... quieter, so you can entertain me for a while," she offers with a condescending smirk.

I shoot a glance to Enri, who's cowering in fear against a bale of hay.

I don't know what 'artifact' she has in her possession, but… if it's a powerful weapon I can't risk letting her use it here. A battle breaking out in the middle of the village, with Enri right here, must be avoided! I made a vow to never disappoint Ainz-sama again!

I glance sideways out the stable's entrance at a death knight patrolling the street. I have a feeling it wouldn't be able to do much against this opponent: so if she's willing to move the battle elsewhere, I suppose I should be grateful.

Then I won't have anything to hold me back either.

"Hmm? Don't tell me you're thinking of calling for help, now…" Zesshi jeers, following my gaze: "What? Don't think you have a chance against me?"

My eye twitches indignantly.

How dare this bitch look down on me, a battle maid created by the Supreme Ones?!

I feel my blood begin to boil, and a dark-orange aura bubbles out, enveloping my entire body.

Zesshi regards me with a peculiarly ecstatic expression before reciprocating the gesture, releasing her own energy. An ominous, flickering black aura undulates out, enshrouding her small form.

As I thought, she's around my level… nevertheless, I can't back off now, not after she looked down on me!

Yes, I'll enjoy making this 'Zesshi' suffer. It's been a while since I've gotten my hands on a toy that won't break after just a bit of playtime.

I bare my fangs in a sadistic sneer and raise my chin up to stare down at the girl with an air of superiority:

"Hoh? If you wanted to die so badly, why didn't you just say so?"

.

.

.


	6. Chapter 6

**In The Flesh**

TheReaperCometh

**A/N: School is finally out! Sorry for the late update again, but I just had my last exam the other day. Expect more frequent updates from now on, every 5-7 days.**

Chapter 6:

"The Girl Who Cried Wolf"

**POV Lupusregina**

**.**

**.**

**.**

_~Swishy Swashy_

Wading slowly through the knee-high grass, I feel the prick of the verdant blades against my exposed skin. I glance over my shoulder at the girl following close behind, beyond whom the silhouette of Carne village is slowly receding, disappearing from sight behind a row of mossy hills.

My eyes then travel East in the direction of Nazarick: much too far away to be visible.

Shadow demons may be fast but… there's a lot of ground to cover, and even at max speed, it'll take at least a couple more minutes before it reaches Ainz-sama.

I let out a wistful sigh.

I wonder if I'll be able to prolong this journey long enough to avoid fighting until backup arrives...

"I think we're far enough away now," Zesshi declares, and I hear her footfalls come to a telling stop.

I just had to jinx it.

I stop moving as well and take a moment to equip an affable smile before turning around so as to not expose my wanton bloodlust. I'd like for nothing more than to rip her throat out and sample her viscera as the pompous glimmer in her eyes quickly disintegrates, devolves into astonishment, then fear, and finally hopelessness as she grasps the inevitability of her imminent demise.

How delectable! Just imagining that makes putting on a happy grin right now all the more genuine.

And yet, though I loathe to admit it, I must concede that her power level is almost indiscernible from my own. And until I am able to determine the nature of her 'artifact', I can't act alone: Ainz-sama would surely castigate me for my carelessness.

A brief memory of him yelling at me after I failed to report the existence of the Giant of the East and Demon Snake of the West flashes through my mind.

The feeling of utter uselessness, shame, and frustration I felt at that moment.

I shudder. I can't ever do anything to warrant a scolding like that again.

_Wooooooooooooo!_

The wind howls violently, buffeting my braids and sending an invigorating rush of warm air through my lungs.

"Eh come on, Zesh-san! I wanna be able to really go all out, just a bit further!" I implore happily.

Zesshi crosses her arms over her chest with a frown.

"Tch. I'm beginning to think you're just leading me around until you think of a way to weasel your way out of this".

"Ehhhh? Weasel my way out? I would never!" I assure with a flippant wave of my hand before turning around to begin walking again.

Please just follow me, you little bitch... don't make this any more difficult than it has to be.

Much to my chagrin, my footsteps are the only ones to be heard.

"Let me make one thing clear," Zesshi begins ominously, enforcing the fact that she has no intention of going any farther: "your salvation will not come, Lupusregina. There is no escape".

...

I sigh inwardly and turn around with a bright expression once again.

"Awww don't be like that Ze—!"

"Enough," she interjects, cutting me off.

Reaching out to her side, the magical scythe on Zesshi's back trembles briefly, letting out a magnetic ring before seamlessly gliding into her grasp.

_Fuwong!_

"I have marked you for death, and this mark is absolute. You should feel honoured, Lupusregina, for I have deemed you worthy to be my prey," she explains matter-of-factly.

She raises her weapon, levelling the crescent-shaped blade towards me:

"And none of my prey has ever escaped me. You will die at my hands".

This arrogant child!

I feel my face begin to twitch indignantly.

"Hmmm… I'm your prey, huh?" I muse disinterestedly.

As if Fate itself had committed to setting the stage for a fight, a dense cloud suddenly blocks out the sun, and the wind ceases its bluster.

Even the birds and insects—who had been chirping ecstatically until this moment—suddenly go quiet, perhaps sensing the tension in the atmosphere. An eerie quiescence encompasses the plains.

It feels as though the world itself is waiting in earnest with bated breath.

Any minute now, the shadow demon should reach Ainz-sama. I just have to stall for a little bit longer..!

"Ehehehe…" I chuckle lamely, scratching the back of my head: "as it turns out, Z-chan, it seems I actually forgot my weapon back at the village, so if you'll excuse me, I'll go get it and be right ba—"

_Thoom!_

Zesshi suddenly pounces forward, spiralling viciously towards me.

My eyes widen, taking in the flash of silver arcing towards my throat.

_Whoooosh!_

I just barely manage to react in time, leaning back under the blade's trajectory. I catch my reflection in its immaculate surface for a split-second as it passes within a hair's breadth over my face.

Before I can even regain my balance, Zesshi flips around in midair to face me, and with another swing of her blade, sends a black crescent of energy towards me.

"Hyaaaah!" I cry out, swinging my just-materialized crosier to intercept the crackling beam, swiftly dispelling it.

That was close…

"Hoh? Look, you had it with you the whole time!" Zesshi laughs with a hint of amusement.

I click my tongue in annoyance.

So it's come to this after all... forgive me, Ainz-sama!

I narrow my eyes towards the root of my shame.

She's really beginning to piss me off.

"Zesshi… between the two of us, you seem to have confused..." I trail off dramatically, allowing my lips to curl into a pompous sneer: "**who is the prey, and who is the predator**".

[True Invisibility]

Zesshi's eyes dilate in surprise as all traces of my physical existence disappear. I watch gleefully as her desperate gaze begins to dart this way and that, frantically searching for my presence.

I raise a hand to my mouth, struggling to stifle a laugh.

What an idiot! She knew I could do this and she wasn't able to detect me earlier, and yet she still went and challenged me to a fight before coming up with a single countermeasure!

I begin to approach her casually, circling towards her back.

Maybe I was taking things too seriously before. This'll be over in an instant! Perhaps a flawless victory will be enough to assuage the Supreme One enough so that he'll forgive yet another blunder on my part?

Ainz-sama is a merciful master, after all. I'm sure it'll be fine!

I smile to myself, now directly behind my unsuspecting prey.

I raise my crosier high above my head in preparation to crush my opponent's skull with a single, decisive bash.

Ahhh… I hope she at least lives through this long enough to let me hear her whimper and watch her twitch hopelessly on the ground for a bit.

_Schwoooo-CRASH!_

My crosier, swung with all my might, slams into the ground, spewing chunks of loamy soil into the air, leaving a large crater where Zesshi had been standing.

!

I stare in disbelief at my opponent, who had managed to jump to the side at the last possible second. She lands a few feet away, and an infuriating grin of confidence etches its way onto her face.

"You may have caught me off guard when you had the element of surprise in a distracting environment… but such a cheap trick won't work on me twice," she assures with an arrogant shrug.

"Cheap trick, you say…" I seethe through gritted teeth.

I feel my mask falter, unable to withstand this girl's unforgivable demeanour any longer.

"Hoh? Well that's a scary look! Is this your true self? Good, so you're finally getting serious. There would be no point in crushing you if you weren't giving it your all," she sneers.

"Silence, you worm," I hiss, abandoning my facade: "you, who has dared to mock me and the Great Tomb of Nazarick, cannot be forgiven. The only punishment for such insolence is death".

Zesshi dubiously arches an eyebrow.

"I 'dare' to mock the tomb of Nazarick? As if a musty, smelly old tomb is deserving of respect," she spits out in a disgusted tone.

!

What... **what did she just say?**

"Y-you…" I stutter out, my voice trembling with rage as my vision begins to redden.

This half-elf cunt!

She dares to insult the great tomb of Nazarick?! She must die! In the most violent way possible, without clemency! I… I..!

"I'll… I'll tear you apart, limb by limb, and eat you alive!" I hiss, reaching up to remove my hat. I cast it away.

My wolf-like ears twitch excitedly at the stimulation of fresh air, and my heart begins to race at the prospect of utterly and brutally annihilating the impudent girl before me.

"Hoh? Rip me apart and eat me, you say? And how do you plan on doing that?" Zesshi inquires in a patronizing tone.

Ignoring her quip, I crouch down on all fours. An instant later, both my maid uniform and crosier disappear into my inventory.

Zesshi frowns disapprovingly.

"Hm? Removing your armour? Are you underestimating m—" she begins to berate indignantly, but her voice catches in her throat as she senses the cold shift in the air: heralding the arrival of my **true form.**

The warm and bright-orange aura I had been exuding suddenly shifts, darkens, condenses, self-incarnadines, until it becomes the same colour as blood.

My hands transform into grizzly-sized paws, larger than a bear's: my nails elongate into vicious, dagger-like claws.

Wild black hair sprouts rapidly from every inch of my body, covering me in a thick coat of steel-like fur. My nose elongates into a snout full of razor-sharp fangs.

My entire body nearly doubles in size.

A tousled, fluffy tail sprouts from my tailbone, nearly two feet in length.

my red hair changes colour and melds with the rest of my coat, creating a thick silver band of spiky fur from the nape of my neck to the base of my tail.

Indeed, my werewolf form is by no means elegant, and while it may greatly enhance my physical abilities, it comes at the sacrifice of not being able to use any melee weapons or holy magic.

Not that I need to wield such armaments when I have claws like these.

I begin panting heavily. Viscous, frothy saliva drips from my insatiable maw as I eye my opponent—no, my prey—hungrily.

The transformation now complete, I stand up on my hind legs and raise my head to the sky.

"Arooooooooooooooooo!" I howl powerfully. It makes no difference that the sun is out rather than the moon—I always howl in delight after the liberation of my inner animal.

I narrow my feral gaze towards my target.

"**You**... **must die**..." I snarl in a deep, gravelly voice.

In this form, I also lose part of myself to predatory instinct: I become more of a beast not just physically, but mentally as well.

But, I am still Lupusregina, capable of conscious thought and rationalization.

**Most of the time**.

I stare down at this gnat of a girl, hardly enough to be considered an appetizer. She looks up at me with an unfazed expression.

"... A werewolf, huh? You're just full of surprises… but it seems I still have the advantage," Zesshi assures, proudly waving her silver scythe around in a wide arc. She seems completely unperturbed by my new form.

I eye her weapon reproachfully and let out a guttural growl.

If not for the fact that her weapon was made of silver, I'd have already run her down by now. It poses a serious threat.

I shake my head.

No, it doesn't matter—I'll rip right through her defense and tear her head off before she can even blink.

I gnash my fangs intimidatingly and crouch low on all fours once again, flexing each powerful limb in preparation to pounce.

She will regret speaking ill of Nazarick.

Much to my dismay, she raises her scythe and assumes a fighting stance. I was really hoping she would just succumb to overwhelming fear and crumble apart. Oh well, I suppose this makes things **more entertaining.**

"Come, and let me slay you like the dog you are!" she taunts.

As if I needed an invitation—!

_Fwaboom!_

I dash forward at breakneck speed, much faster than my humanoid form would allow, and close the distance between us in an instant.

Towering above my tiny opponent, I unleash a powerful roar and swipe with one of my massive paws.

"**Let me hear your scream**!" I bellow.

_Clank!_

My claws, capable of making quick work of steel, glide discordantly off the silver blade, unleashing an impressive spray of sparks from the metallic friction.

I follow up with another, and another, and my sheer animalistic strength forces Zesshi on the defense, pushing her back with each mighty blow.

_Clang! Schhhing! Clink!_

Yet somehow, she's managing to keep up, blow for blow, expertly deflecting my attacks. The air begins to crackle around us, charged by the sparks let off from the collisions of our fierce attacks.

But with each passing second that this stalemate continues, however, my animalistic rage only intensifies—as does my ravenous desire to tear her to pieces. Fuelled by my primal impatience, I can feel myself becoming **faster and faster**.

_Shirk!_

One of my claws finally connects, slipping past her scythe, tearing through the sleeve of her robe and slicing into her arm.

"tch," she clicks her tongue and leaps backwards in an attempt to put some space between us.

As if I'd let her.

I pounce after her, not allowing her a single moment to catch her breath, and continue my frenzied slashing.

I can see it, her defense is cracking. She hasn't retaliated with a strike of her own in a while now—she's putting everything she has into maintaining her guard.

**Which means, sooner or later, I'll overwhelm her and break through.**

Sure enough, my claws whistle down towards her face from above, a potentially-decisive blow with far too much momentum for her haphazard and frantically-erected block to properly deflect.

I knock her scythe to the side, nearly launching it from her grip—leaving her wide open.

I leap forwards with my maw wide open, priming my teeth to sink into her jugular.

"Aroooooo-grk!"

My teeth clamp down like a guillotine, not on her neck like I intended, but on the scythe's handle, which Zesshi had just managed to raise in time.

But now, with her weapon trapped between my teeth, her defense is completely compromised.

**Yes, it's over**—**!**

I lash out at her unprotected side with my claws.

To my surprise, however, she releases the hilt of her scythe, surrendering it to my fangs. Having let go of her weapon, she's free to move as she pleases..!

With an acrobatic twist, she leaps off the ground and over my raking claws, flipping nimbly overhead to land behind me.

I feel a hand press against my back.

"[Negative Burst]!"

Shit-!

_Wuuuuong!_

I whirl around just as her palm pulses with a sinister violet light, an expulsion of condensed mana.

_Cra-koom!_

A powerful shockwave rips through my body, launching me off my feet as though I had been struck by a truck. a sickening chorus of snapping bones erupts from my body as I flip wildly through the air, unable to reorientate myself. Finally, I crash headfirst into a large boulder with earth-shattering force, nearly cracking it in two.

_Kaboom!_

I roll back to my feet and shake the rubble off of me. I can hardly see straight, my eyes are still rattling within their sockets from the jarring impact. I shake my head.

Thankfully, my regenerative abilities are already kicking in and most of the damage I just incurred has been mitigated: I can already feel my bones mending. I flex my wrists tentatively, testing my body's state. It seems alr—

!

My sharpened instincts inform me of an incoming attack.

I raise my head just in time to see a flash of metal arcing towards me, too quick to fully evade.

_Shink!_

"Awoooooo!" I yelp in pain as the silver scythe digs into my right shoulder blade.

_Tsssssss!_

Thick, blood-red steam begins billowing out of the wound.

It's true that, in this form, I boast ridiculous physical regeneration capabilities—silver weapons, however, not only deal a flat amount of extra damage to me than weapons crafted from other materials, but also inflict grievous wounds that can't be healed and negate my passive-healing abilities altogether.

In other words, silver is like poison to my immune system.

Although, from the look of slight surprise on her face, she must not have anticipated my hide to be so durable. It's not on the same level as Cocytus-san's exoskeleton, but it's defensive capabilities are about on par with my maid armour.

Before she can wrench her weapon free from my shoulder, I reach down and seize both of her ankles. with a vicious pull, I yank her up into the air.

"Urk, you insolent mutt!" she shouts, dangling upside down.

I release one of her ankles and grab her head, covering her face with my palm.

Flipping her right-side-up, I hold her in an outstretched vice-grip. I begin to squeeze, digging my nails into her skull.

She struggles vainly to escape my clutches, and I can see small trickles of blood dripping down her face from my talons' penetrations.

I snicker triumphantly.

Just a little more, and her head will implode, like a **beautiful, gore-filled balloon**!

"Errrrk! [Eviscerate]!" she manages to cry out through gritted teeth.

!

Suddenly, the curved blade embedded in my shoulder glows a brilliant white.

_Ker-splush!_

An alarming amount of blood suddenly explodes out from the wound, ruthlessly torn from my body, drenching my entire arm and Zesshi's face in a crimson splash. My vision immediately dims from the spontaneous blood loss. My entire body convulses, succumbing to a cold, acute pain.

"**Urk!**" I gasp out, wobbling unsteadily in place.

I feel my grip on her head weaken: with a vigorous twist, she manages to loosen my grip even more.

"**Quit squirming**!" I bellow with rage.

Before she can escape, I lift her high above my head before promptly slamming her down headfirst into the ground with all of my might.

_Kra-koom!_

I drive her deep into the earth, putting all my weight into my arm, and the earth beneath us fissures in a spiderweb-like pattern.

I remove my claw from Zesshi's face to clutch at my brutalized shoulder.

Did... did that do it?

She's unmoving, half-buried in the soil, ostensibly incapacitated—I crouch down trepidatiously, leaning in to sniff her closely for confirmation.

She's not dead, but her slow heart rate and low brain activity assure me that she's unconscious.

I reach up, and with a painful tug, wrench the scythe from my crippled shoulder and let it clatter to the ground at my feet.

Even just touching the handle of a silver weapon is unpleasant... but now that it's been extracted, my body can begin regenerating the damage.

I clench my paw into a satisfied fist. I've emerged victorious.

Now, to finish her off quickly. She could potentially pose a threat to Nazarick if left unchecked.

I reach down and grab her by the collar of her robe, yanking her limp body up towards my face.

I lick my chops hungrily. Mmm, it's a shame she won't be awake for this—the more proud and arrogant a person, the tastier their fear is when they finally realize they're about to die. I can only imagine the exquisite despair Zesshi would've offered in her final moments, as my open maw drew closer and closer to devour her.

In a way, I'm being far too merciful towards someone foolish enough to oppose Nazarick. But it's better to be safe than—

!

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up: a visceral response to impending danger.

I flinch in confusion.

This feeling…

"[Detect Mana]," I cast hurriedly, infusing my irises with mana until they glow with a dark-cobalt light.

!

A high concentration of mana has accumulated in Zesshi's hands, even more than earlier. This is—!

Suddenly, I sense her heart rate spike, and her eyes flash open. With a condescending grin, she grasps my outstretched wrist with both hands.

How did she conceal her consciousness so well, enough to fool my infallible senses?!

"[Hell-flame conflagration]!" she roars victoriously.

_Fwooosh!_

A horrifying black flame suddenly envelops my hand.

I stagger back in surprise, and Zesshi slips from my grasp. She quickly retrieves her weapon from the ground and dashes towards me, unleashing a sweeping attack directed at my midriff.

Ignoring the excruciating pain in both my arms, I lower them to deflect the fatal blow.

_Filch!_

a spray of blood spurts from my forearms.

Upon collision, she pivots off her front foot and begins to spin, commencing an onslaught of successive blows from unpredictable angles. It feels like I'm being attacked by a sentient maelstrom of blades.

She continues to push forward, whirling about in an oppressive battle trance, unleashing dozens of slashes each second, forcing me back step-by-step.

"[**Animal Instinct**]!" I manage to chant in between attacks, imbuing myself with a spell that's exclusively available to my werewolf form, which enhances my movement speed and reaction time by a tremendous margin.

But the maintenance of this spell requires the expenditure of a certain amount of mana per second while it's active, so I'll only be able to keep this up for a couple minutes at best..!

_Spulch! Shink! _

Some attacks begin to sneak past my defense, inflicting shallow gashes and burning nicks.

My movements are becoming more and more sluggish, attenuated by the insidious black flame as it continues to eat away at my right arm and attrite my health. My left is still crippled from the irrecoverable damage I received from [eviscerate].

What a disadvantageous matchup this is for me!

Alarmingly, I notice the sable flame has crept all the way up to my shoulder now!

I need to dispose of this arm before it spreads any farther!

But how can I—!

**There**!

Amongst the flurry of attacks, thanks to my keen eyesight, I perceive a particularly-powerful upwards swing coming towards me.

I lean to the side in that moment and stretch out my burning limb.

_Shlink!_

_THUD._

Her scythe slices cleanly through my arm, severing it from my body at the shoulder blade, right where the black flames were beginning to lick. The smouldering arm falls to the ground with a sickening thud and promptly disintegrates into a pile of ashes that scatters in the wind.

I shiver in fright. It seems the only reason it didn't burn up any sooner was because of my healing factor.

My arm, however, was just as armoured as the rest of my body, and the resistance it offered for the scythe to slice through was enough to create a lull in Zesshi's spinning-top assault.

I seize the opportunity and lunge forward, grabbing her by the shoulders to root her place—after rearing my head back for a moment, I bury my face in the crook of her neck, ruthlessly plunging my fangs into her collarbone with a sickening _squelch_ before she can react.

Warm blood immediately fills my mouth as I clamp my teeth down, even deeper into her soft skin—my tongue quivers in delight, lapping up the life-essence.

"Hyaaaaaa!" Zesshi wails in agony.

I lift her off the ground and begin to shake her violently, similarly to how a dog might shake a rat it caught with the hopes of breaking its neck.

Not that I expect to snap her neck from this, of course. However, thrashing her violently about like a ragdoll while my fangs are still embedded deep within her flesh will certainly exacerbate the damage I inflict.

"You… fucking… bitch..! gack~!" she seethes, retching horribly, coughing up a mouthful of blood on top of my head.

In the corner of my eye, I see her shakily raise her scythe to stab me in the side.

Satisfied with the amount of damage I dealt, I shake my head one last time and unclench my jaws, flinging her away before she can retaliate. She soars through the air for dozens of metres, barreling through the trunks of multiple trees along the outskirts of the forest flanking the side of the trail.

_KraKraKra-Koom!_

She finally careens into a particularly thick oak tree sturdy enough to halt her momentum. She crumples to the ground at the base of it.

_Vooooooo-THOOM!_

The earth trembles mightily as the oak tree in question, having sustained a large amount of damage from the impact, teeters over and falls on top of Zesshi with a thunderous crash, kicking up a massive amount of dust.

That won't be enough to stop her though.

I hurriedly look to my arm-less shoulder, leaking a copious amount of blood and smoke.

I need to capitalize on this opportunity.

I close my eyes to focus, briefly diverting all of my available mana into my right shoulder.

"**Grrrrahhhhhh**!" I grunt out painfully, pushing my regeneration to the absolute limit.

_Splurt!_

A new arm suddenly bursts out of the socket, identical to the one that was lost. I flex it a few times to break it in. Good as new.

!

I feel my [animal instinct] wear off—I no longer have the mana to sustain it any longer.

Exerting rapid regeneration of an entire limb demands an enormous amount of energy and inhibits my passive healing for a short period of time after.

My mana pool has run dry.

If I sustain another critical wound, **it's all over**.

_Crash!_

The massive fallen oak tree suddenly explodes, spraying large chunks of wood into the air.

Zesshi storms out of the woods with a murderous look in her eye, clutching at her neck.

I eye the wound intently: the bleeding seems to have already slowed considerably. Does she perhaps possess enhanced vitality and healing as well, or is this the result of a spell?

If the former is true, it definitely isn't as formidable as mine—but it'll be troublesome to deal with nonetheless.

"Y-you…" she spits out hoarsely.

"How dare you shake me, Zesshi Zutsumei, like a ragdoll within your foul mouth and reduce me to such a pitiable state!?" she wails, and I sense her power level spike dramatically.

Not good.

She has a lot more energy left than me. I can't let her know that though.

I force a crooked grin.

"What's the matter, Zesshi? Are you more BARK than bite?" I joke, noticing the chips of wood stuck in her hair.

"Why you-!"

"Ah, I guess that joke didn't sink in too well. **Unlike my teeth**".

"A veritable comedian right until the end, I see. Your delivery is even more insufferable in your current form. Enough. Screw my superiors, I will end you here and now!" she says confidently.

My mind begins to race. Suddenly, my vision begins to blur.

I'm utterly spent... I shouldn't have regrown my arm, I overestimated my endurance...

I collapse to one knee.

As suicidal as it would've been to continue the fight with only one arm, I'd still be in a more favourable position than this..!

My mana reserves are completely depleted.

"Hoh? So you were just putting on a brave face? How cute..." Zesshi whispers mockingly, resting her scythe lazily over her shoulder.

She begins walking slowly towards me, appearing as a veritable grim reaper in my darkening vision.

My heart begins to race anxiously: sluggish, erratic beats.

And not out of fear for my life—but out of fear that this deplorable cunt will emerge from our encounter alive, after disrespecting Nazarick to such an extent.

Even if I must die, I cannot allow her to live..! I will take her down with me, I simply must!

But even that would take a miracle in my current state.

As she draws ever closer, my instincts inform me of my imminent demise.

The faces of all my fellow Pleiades, my sisters, flash through my mind.

Is this really how I'll die..?

I clench my fists in frustration.

Ainz-sama... I've failed him again. Bitter tears begin to trickle out of my eyes.

Zesshi stands before me, scythe raised high in the air, poised to deliver a swift and unavoidable death.

"Any last words, Lupusregina?" she asks smugly.

"Eh… would you… mind giving me a couple minutes to try and think of something clever?" I mutter weakly.

"No. But rejoice: you proved yourself to be a worthy opponent. And so even as you die now, take solace in knowing that you shall live on, immortalized, within my memory".

"Gee… I feel… so honoured".

"You should. Goodbye," she concludes in a blunt, callous tone.

I clench my eyes shut.

Please, everyone, forgive me..!

…

**But then**.

_Fu-woong!_

My ears suddenly perk up and I whirl around to discover a swirling vortex that just sprung into existence.

!

My nose twitches excitedly as I pick up two reassuring, comforting scents.

"Tch," Zesshi clicks her tongue and leaps back cautiously.

He... he's here!

The flow of my tears sweetens.

My fluffy tail starts wagging back and forth enthusiastically. I tilt my head back to let out a celebratory howl.

Zesshi cocks her head to the side with a grim expression.

"Who..?"

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

I step out of the gate and look around apprehensively: an open field atop a rolling hill.

Signs of a fierce battle assault my senses.

Countless craters crack the earth; trees fallen over; boulders reduced to pebbles.

The stench of blood.

Although I had been watching the entire battle unfold through a magic seeing-eye positioned in the sky, being here in person is a much more potent experience.

Perhaps it was cold-blooded of me, but I did not come to help Lupusregina immediately because I needed to ascertain Zesshi's strength. I also took the time to scan the surrounding area to make sure there were no potential enemy reinforcements within a five-kilometre radius of here.

I could not risk rushing to Lupusregina's aid in case it was a trap.

Of course, to air on the side of caution even more, I made sure to bring Albedo with me.

As if on cue, the guardian overseer emerges from the portal, donning her onyx-colours armour.

And just to be extra safe…

"[**No escape**]," I announce with a wave of my hand, casting a spell that prevents any teleportation in or out of my current location.

Finally, with every precaution now in place, I let out out a sigh of relief.

I direct my gaze towards the giant werewolf, panting happily with its head lowered towards me.

Man, this really puts the 'Lupus' in Lupusregina! I almost forgot she could do this! I've only ever seen this transformation on one occasion in the past, long before we were even transported to this new world.

But still… she's so beat up. Mangled, matted fur, stained with blood. I can barely even sense any mana left in her.

She was truly pushed to her limit.

My heart begins to burn with resentment towards the one who reduced her to this state.

I reach out and ruffle the top of her head.

"Lupusregina, you did well to contact me as soon as you encountered an enemy. Though under most circumstances I would've preferred for you to have fled, you did the right thing to draw her away from Carne village to ensure the protection of those four individuals," I commend with a nod: "forgive me for not coming to your aid sooner: I had to properly assess the situation first," I apologize.

In response to my words, Lupusregina begins to revert back to her humanoid form.

!

I retract my hand in surprise.

For a full second or two after the re-transformation had completed, Lupusregina knelt before me, completely naked, before her maid uniform finally reappeared.

"There is no need to apologize, Ainz-sama! But I sure am glad you're here now!" she cries in a feeble yet cheerful tone as tears of joy begin to dampen the corners of her glimmering eyes.

I avert my gaze and cough into my hand, staving off a blush.

Why is every woman that serves under me so attractive?! Curse my old comrades!

Lupusregina in particular, though… in Japan, natural red hair and tanned complexions are of course very scarce, so I've come to realize that I find such features exotically appealing.

Is it wrong of me to have noticed such things when she's so weak and injured right now? I feel like a predator…

I shake my head shamefully.

Jeez, what am I thinking about at a time like this: focus Ainz!

I finally redirect my gaze to Zesshi—the one who critically wounded one of my most loyal subjects—and my anger begins to swell.

To have beaten Lupusregina like this, to within an inch of her life... **I will not forgive it.**

As though the weight of my piercing gaze had freed her from a trance, Zesshi shakes her head and looks to me with intrigue.

"So, you are the great Ainz-Ooal Gown, I presume?" she says in a seemingly nonchalant voice.

But I can hear it: the hint of doubt in her voice.

The doubt which comes from sizing me up and asking herself 'can I beat him?'.

Indeed, I can already tell that she is an extremely powerful entity by the new world's standards. Being able to single-handedly defeat Lupusregina, arguably the strongest of the pleiades, easily makes her the strongest opponent we've encountered so far.

And so, someone of her calibre should easily be able to realize by now that the answer to the question 'can I beat him?'...

I clench my fists angrily, and Zesshi flinches.

"The answer is 'no'" I hiss, and her eyes widen fearfully for a brief moment before she recollects her composure.

"How dare you lay a hand on Lup-!" Albedo begins to seethe, taking a step forward from my side. I outstretch a hand to stop her.

"Albedo".

She merely nods her head in response and takes a step back.

"Zesshi… from the Slaine Theocracy, I presume?" I counter.

"Indeed," she readily offers.

I arch an eyebrow. What kind of fool openly reveals who they're associated with?

"Ainz Ooal Gown-dono," Zesshi speaks up suddenly in a surprisingly courteous tone.

**I find it off-putting**.

?

My eyes widen as she suddenly drops to one knee and bows her head towards me.

"Gown-dono… I do not need to fight you to know that you are a truly powerful being. Would you perhaps be willing to bless me with your seed?" she entreats.

…

Eh?

"Ehhhh?!" Albedo and Lupusregina cry in shock.

A chill travels down my spine as an intense aura begins to seep out of the guardians overseer. Gulp...

In response to our confusion, Zesshi lets out a sly chuckle:

"Gown-dono, it has always been a dream of mine, for over a century now, to find a man stronger than myself with whom I could mate with, in order to create a child even more powerful than I," she explains casually.

…

I begin to shake uncontrollably. Who does she think she is, asking me to fulfill her lifelong dream after she just attempted to kill Lupusregina?!

My anger, with no emotion suppressor to restrain it, rises to an unfathomable degree, and a menacing black aura, far more potent than Albedo's, begins to radiate out from me.

Lupusregina, Albedo, and Zesshi all begin to tremble in response to my unadulterated, boiling rage, subjecting them to an effect similar to an indiscriminate [fear] spell.

"**Zesshi**…" I seethe: "do you really think you're in a position to be making such **RIDICULOUS REQUESTS**!" I bellow, and the ground beneath me begins to quake.

"G-gown dono—" Zesshi stutters tremulously.

"**Silence**!" I cut her off with a wave of my hand.

A large magical glyph appears in front of me.

"[**R****eality Slash**]!" I roar.

_**Slish!**_

A tear in the fabric of space and time opens up, viciously rending her flesh, eliciting a blood-curdling scream from her lungs. Blood explodes out from her, and she clutches at her chest, keeling over.

"[Detect Life]" I chant unsympathetically.

I raise an eyebrow after examining her life force. While I had no intention of killing her with that, which is why I did not enhance it with [Triplet Maximize Magic], she survived it better than I anticipated and is still boasting a nominal amount of health. And even after she incurred damage from Lupusregina, too.

Indeed, I can see why she was able to defeat the Pleiade. In a way though, it's good she's still alive: she undoubtedly possesses invaluable information regarding the Slaine Theocracy.

"Ahahahah..._hack_… haha-urk!" she suddenly cackles, rising on shaky feet: "your magic… is as formidable as they said, Gown-dono: but before you end my life… that woman behind you… is even stronger… than Lupusregina, correct?" she sputters.

I arch an eyebrow skeptically. What a peculiar question… why would she ask something like that, at a time like this?

Before I can ponder it any more, Albedo steps forward angrily:

"Of course I am! I am the overseer of all of Nazarick's guardians, you insolent whelp!" she announces proudly.

A hollow laugh trickles out from Zesshi's pale lips.

"Interesting… to think, there are so many creatures as powerful—no, MORE powerful—than myself in this world... Gown-dono..." she trails off with a mischievous grin, levelling an intense glare towards Albedo.

A pit forms in my stomach at her unwarranted confidence.

Suddenly, the golden serpent on her robe begins to glow, emitting a blinding light.

This immense magical reading-! Could it be—!

"you have so many strong subordinates, Gown-dono… you wouldn't mind if I took just one of them, would you?"

.

.

.


	7. Chapter 7

**In The Flesh**

TheReaperCometh

**A/N: Thanks for all the passionate reviews for the last chapter, I really enjoyed reading all the different 'What?! There's no way this will work, Zesshi is screwed because [insert reasons]' xD I think I received about 40 reviews along those lines :p.**

**Also in this chapter, a new character is introduced: one that I received a handful of requests to integrate (but was planning to anyway, regardless).**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7**

"**Death's Loyal Ranger"**

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Gown-dono, you have too many powerful underlings… you wouldn't mind parting ways with just one, would you?" Zesshi asks in a cryptic tone.

I gaze at the glowing robe, radiating a powerful magical aura that only a world-class item could generate.

So, it's just as I thought…

It looks exactly how it's depicted within the historical records I received from Fluder:

'And so, Surshana, the final member of the Slaine Theocracy's Six Great Gods, stood solemnly against the Eight Greed Kings. Armed with all of his fallen comrades' treasures, he fought valiantly, but ultimately perished—but not before managing to slay one of the Greed Kings, after using 'Downfall of Castle and Country', a legendary artifact in the form of a white flowing robe embroidered with the marking of the Gold Serpent Lord, which allowed Surshana to seize control of one of the Greed Kings, forcing his teammates to kill him'.

I do not know much about these Greed Kings or Six Great Gods, aside from the fact that they were most likely players like myself, who introduced tier magic to this world and helped certain countries flourish.

But what I do know is that the robe presented before my eyes, given its immense magical signature, is without a doubt this 'Downfall of Castle and Country'.

Who knew Fluder's knowledge would come in handy so soon?

And now since that's the case… I have nothing to worry about and can act without hesitation.

I look back at the guardian overseer.

"Albedo: make sure she lives, though," I command lazily.

"Very well, Ainz-sama".

What an idiot this Zesshi is. Generally, the more powerful the magic, the longer the cast time. There are very few exceptions to this relationship. To attempt to cast super tier mind-control magic in her state, at such a close distance, without a vanguard is…

Albedo darts forward and slams the pommel of her axe into Zesshi's gut.

_Fwooo!_

—_Schwing!_

...Foolish.

The half-elf is blasted away to tumble violently like a ragdoll, bouncing several times off the grassy trail before skidding to a motionless stop nearly a hundred metres away.

_Krack-ack-ack-skkkkkkkkkkkkkkrt!_

How pitiful.

With a sigh, I begin nonchalantly walking towards her.

"Lupusregina, stay close. We've been here a while and don't know whose unwanted attention we may have garnered, especially after 'Downfall of Castle and Country' was almost activated. Be ready to leave at a moment's notice".

"U-understood, Ainz-sama…" she mutters in a somewhat despondent tone as she staggers to her feet with a melancholic expression.

I tilt my head to the side curiously.

What's got her so down in the dumps? Don't tell me..!

"Lupusregina, what is troubling you? Have your keen senses picked up on a potential enemy?"

The maid's eyes widen in surprise.

"N-no, nothing like that, Ainz-sama! it's just…" she trails off, averting her gaze to the ground and biting her lower lip.

Ah, I see... I'd recognize that look anywhere.

It's the same troubled look I feel I must have had quite often when I first started playing Yggdrasil, before I was invited to Nine's Own Goal, and was constantly preyed upon by player killers.

The look of consternation one would have after experiencing a frustrating defeat.

"Lupusregina, do not feel ashamed because you lost. I watched the entire battle unfold, and you did not misrepresent Nazarick in any way. Everyone tastes defeat: it is necessary for growth. Losing is fine so long as you learn something from it. As the old saying goes: 'being weak is nothing to be ashamed of, but staying weak is'," I say with a sagacious nod.

Or at least, that's what Touch-Me-san said at one point after he had come second place in a big tournament, and I had asked him if he was disappointed.

"Thanks, Ainz-sama…" the wolf maid mutters in a relieved tone: "I was so worried you'd be disappointed in me… I absolutely did not want to fail you again..." she pauses to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye: "I will continue to grow stronger in order to serve you better in the future, Ainz-sama!" she finally cries vehemently after a few moments of silence.

I nod my head.

"I look forward to your continued support and loyalty, Lupusregina".

And just as that heart-to-heart comes to a close…

"Hur..urk" Zesshi wheezes, grovelling pathetically at my feet.

"Zesshi Zetsumei. Did you really think we were just going to sit back and allow you to use your trump card like that?" I ask rhetorically.

"..."

"But I suppose you had no other options, now did you?"

And it's not like it would've worked anyway, as all my guardians and myself are equipped with world-class items, so mind control is of no concern.

Ah, everyone in the guild worked so hard to gather as many world-class items as we did... they were never easy to obtain, always hidden away in clandestine, perilous locations. It wasn't even actually acquiring them that was the most fun for me... no, it was all the endless hours we all spent, together, scouring maps, exchanging information, foraging through the devs' social media accounts, trying to figure out where some might be. Cocytus' [Billion Blades] was one such world-class item that took a particularly long time to discover.

It was because of all our combined efforts—detrimental to our personal well-being and sleep schedule—that Ainz Ooal Gown managed to acquire so many more world-class items than any other guild.

A pang of wistful nostalgia pulses through my chest.

"Ainz-sama, shall we take her back to Nazarick and subject her to Neuronist's catering?" Albedo suggests.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts.

"Yes, I believe—"

"N-no…" Zesshi mutters hoarsely, cutting me off.

I raise an eyebrow.

"You're hardly in a position to say. Albedo, put her to sleep and we shall depart immediately" I order.

Albedo nods before kneeling down and placing a hand on Zesshi's forehead.

"No, you don't understand... " Zesshi croaks: "it is impossible to force information out of me".

"I think you'll find our information gatherer to be quite persuasive," I assure.

Zesshi cackles dryly, sounding unwarrantably self-satisfied.

"No… there is a spell that was cast on me by the high bishop of the Slaine Theocracy using a world-class item. It prevents me from giving any information unwillingly - a seal that quite literally shuts down my mind when I am being tortured or exposed to mind-reading magic. It was placed on me when I became the guardian of the Slane Theocracy's treasury, and became privy to all of the nation's most coveted secrets, so that I would never reveal anything if the circumstance ever arose where I was detained by an enemy".

A bluff? That sounds utterly ridiculous and desperate...

"Surely there is no magic like that… a useless bluff," I snort.

"You may think that, but in a few day's time, even if you subject me to horrible torture, whether it be through the use of magic or more conventional methods, you will learn nothing" She spits in a spiteful tone.

I scratch my chin.

Obviously I know of magic that prevents one's mind from being read… I myself even know a spell or two with that effect. But a spell that protects the user from leaking information no matter what? It seems too extravagantly complex and circumstantial to be real. How would that have even worked in Yggdrasil?

Yes, it has to be a worthless bluff. I won't be duped so easily.

I nod to myself confidently.

"Albedo, go ahead and put her to sleep. We're leaving. [Gate]," I cast, opening up a portal in front of us.

"[Sleep]," Albedo whispers, expelling a thick grey smog over Zesshi's face.

She will most definitely prove to be an invaluable boon of knowledge. I have little doubt as well that she is likely the most powerful warrior within the Holy Kingdom, given that she was solely entrusted with one of the Slaine Theocracy's world-class items, and sent alone to capture one of my 'powerful' subordinates. They must have utmost faith in her abilities.

If I had to evaluate her myself by Yggdrasil standards, I would have to say that, based on her raw stats and performance against Lupusregina, she is approximately level 70. However, she is much less optimized than an actual level 70 Yggdrasil player would be, and would lose quite spectacularly against such an opponent.

Though, If this supposed world-item-placed seal on her mind is in fact real, and renders her knowledge inaccessible, it will be a sore loss for Nazarick.

Particularly, given that the Slane Theocracy has been directly influenced and guided by many players over its history, it's not out of the question that they still possess a handful of powerful items that could pose a threat to Nazarick. I must find out about them at all cost.

Ahhh, hopefully she was actually just bluffing and it'll be a simple task for Neuronist to 'coax' the information out of her within a day's time.

I step through the portal: Albedo, and Lupusregina carrying Zesshi's limp form, follow suit.

**POV Neia**

**.**

**.**

**.**

I inhale slowly and aim my bow—the one that I received from The Great Sorcerer King, [Shooting Star Super].

_Phooooooo!_

I exhale sharply while simultaneously releasing the drawstring.

The arrow, blessed with holy magic effective against demihumans, flies through the air at an untraceable speed, leaving behind a brilliant white trail in its wake.

_Thok!_

"_Gooooourah!" _the Vorrat, a large bi-pedal rat with lizard-like scales, wails in agony as the arrow embeds itself into the side of its throat. Blood spurts out of the wound like a fountain, and the beast collapses unceremoniously to the ground, staining yet another patch of soil a deep red.

My hawk-like eyes survey the plains stretched out beneath the wall upon which I stand.

Dozens of Vorrat corpses litter the ground about a two-hundred metres away, all bearing similar wounds to the one I had just shot down.

I nod in satisfaction. None of them made it even close to the wall.

I lower my bow and smile wistfully, admiring its immaculate beauty.

A gift from the Sorcerer King…

Such a powerful and magnanimous man had given me, a lowly squire, such a powerful artifact.

My heart races.

I can never allow myself to perform poorly with this weapon—to allow even a single demihuman to reach the wall while wielding this bow would be unforgivably disrespectful to Ainz Ooal Gown-sama.

Since the Sorcerer King's departure after successfully defeating Jaldabaoth, my position has changed dramatically—perhaps not behind closed doors, but after being acknowledged by Ainz-sama himself and following him onto the battlefield, I could no longer be considered a lowly squire by anyone.

Even though all I really ever did was stare in awe and gawk at his supreme power, many people are convinced that I fought valiantly at his side. Who am I to change their minds? After all, such rumours have afforded me a higher military rank and social status—both of which have put me in a much more credible position to spread the word of Ainz-sama's greatness.

So I see no reason to change people's perceptions of me.

Although to be completely fair to myself, it's not like I'm completely undeserving of my recognition. I feel I'm almost at the same level my father was.

No, I am no longer a meagre squire: I am now Captain Neia Baraja, the newest member of the Holy Kingdom's 9 colours, after inheriting the title of 'Black' from my deceased father. As such, I've also been outfitted with a great many magical items. While they all pale in comparison to the bow I received from the Supreme One, but still, their effects are certainly appreciated:

A black [cape of agility] that enhances my movement speed.

[leather gauntlets of toughness] that offer slight magical resistance to fire, ice, and lightning magic.

An [amulet of the lion] that boosts my resistance to fear and other demoralizing effects, and also serves to steady my nerves in general to prevent my body from trembling to ensure precise aiming.

An open-faced [Silver helm of the Archangel] that grants me night vision and [detect life]—which allows me to detect the life force of all living things within 150 metres, even in the pitch black of night or through walls. The helmet also serves to enhance my already keen eyesight. Out of all my magical equipment, it is the most impressive in terms of the number of enchantments. It's the most expensive as well.

Aside from my bow, of course, which is priceless.

I also have [utterless boots] that completely silence the sound of my footsteps and prevents fall damage—which I was reluctant to believe at first, but after jumping off a third story building and experiencing no pain, I've come to recognize as true... though I am unwilling to do anything as ludicrous as leaping off a mountaintop or something to test the boots' limit.

A light [leather tunic of protection] that completely mitigates all damage from weak projectiles, just enough to negate the crude slingshots and non-magically enhanced arrows of many of the more uncivilized demi-human tribes.

And finally, a [sacred quiver] which imbues all my arrows with weak holy magic and extra piercing power.

Although, captain is a title which makes me sound more impressive than I really am… for I am only the captain of the northern wall's guard outpost. Which mind you, is still an important task, obviously: many demi-human races are currently in the midst of bloody infighting after the collapse of the alliance which ensued after Jaldabaoth's defeat - but there are some still, like this pack of Vorrats, that try to seize the opportunity of attacking the holy kingdom while we try to rebuild all that was lost.

But no, "Captain of the Northern Wall's defense" is not a title that I am proud to bear. The titles that truly ignite a flame of passion and pride within my heart are unofficial, those that I've received behind closed doors.

'The Emissary of Death'

'The Undead's Adjutant'

'Death's Ranger'

Most of these are spoken in hushed tones and gossiping whispers with a negative connotation, particularly from the lips of the nobles and paladins: but these monikers that relate me to the Sorcerer King are what truly elate me.

I don't care what all the obtuse, delusional non-believers who cling to the obstinate belief that all undead are evil, think.

In fact, I wish such ungrateful people would have perished during Jaldabaoth's attacks, for they are unworthy to have found salvation at Ainz-sama's hands. Luckily, though, I have managed to enlighten many people from their ignorance, so that they may come to admire and devote themselves to the one true guardian deity on this planet, Ainz Ooal Gown.

In fact, just last week, the construction of the first 'temple of Ainz' had finally concluded, built just a few kilometres south from this outpost in the city of Mellevitch. It is a place of reverence for The Sorcerer King, that I make a concerted effort to frequent as much as my schedule will allow. I sometimes deliver speeches to the devotees who congregate there as well, describing how wonderful it was to serve directly under Ainz-sama. I used to find public speaking to be very difficult, but on the topic of Ainz-sama, to whom I could attach an endless number of compliments and still not do him justice, I cannot help but gush for hours on end.

I sling my bow over my back and hop down off my sniper tower, landing twenty-five feet below without a single sound.

"All taken care of?" my second in command, Elric Vellitch, asks with a knowing smile.

"Of course. With this bow, no enemy shall ever escape my line of site unscathed, much less reach the wall," I reply confidently with a smile.

Elric merely shrugs: "my my, still taking all your other magical items for granted, I see," he says with a disapproving shake of his head.

"It's not that I don't appreciate them, it's just… how should I put this… if I were given the choice between giving up my [shooting star super], or all the other magical equipment in my possession, I would choose the latter in a heartbeat"

"Hmm, that sounds like you're taking it all for granted to me," he criticizes.

"Hey," I say, punching him lightly on the shoulder as I walk by: "is that any way to talk to your superior officer?"

"When you start acting like one, I'll start treating you like one. When you're not defending the wall, you're either cooped up in your quarters, training on the range by yourself, or visiting your temple. Bonding with your subordinates and issuing training exercises is part of a good superior officer's duties, you know," he lectures matter-of-factly.

I merely shrug my shoulders and flash a meek grin, causing Elric to sigh in exasperation. We've had this same conversation many times.

"Well it's a good thing I'm not striving to be a good captain then, huh? Anyway, I'm off to—"

"Let me guess… the temple?" He asks in a sarcastic tone.

"That's right. But seriously, you need to start addressing me with due respect again, or I'll feed you to the next group of Vorrats"

"Understood, Baraja-dono!" He exclaims mockingly, breaking out in an absurdly rigid and exaggerated salute. Not wanting to encourage his antics any longer, I simply continue walking down the wooded trail towards the town of Mellevitch.

Within this bustling town located just south of the first wall Jaldabaoth breached with a powerful meteor strike, the first place of practiced religion for Ainz-sama was built, to commemorate the beginning of the calamity that only he could resolve.

I suppose, in a sense, I am the founder of this new religion, which, despite the intense criticism it has received for being both blasphemous and treasonous to worship an undead, has amassed thousands and thousands of followers across the nation.

People are finally beginning to see the glory of the Sorcerer King. Originally, I was the only one who could.

Truth be told, I would love to live in the Sorcerous Kingdom and serve Ainz-sama directly each and every day.

Nothing would bring me greater joy.

But then, who would propagate his glory here?

If I were to leave now, everything I've worked for over the past few weeks will have all been for naught, torn asunder by the anti-undead nobles who would do everything in their power to deter people from placing their faith in the Sorcerer King.

I cannot allow that to happen.

I finally come to the end of the forested trail, and the town's frontier finally comes into view.

The peak of the Sorcerer King temple is clearly visible over the city wall, which fills me with a sense of pride.

I will not rest until this new religion—which, embarrassingly enough, I still have not come up with a decent name for—becomes the most widespread and universally practiced faith in the country.

"Hail, Baraja-dono!" the town's gate guard salutes happily.

"I told you there is no need to be so formal with me, Travis. We are joined by the same faith, and so we are on equal terms," I reply happily.

Travis was one of the first people in this town who readily converted to 'the cult of Ainz', for lack of a better term, and played an intrinsic role in actively encouraging other people within the town to do the same. In fact, as of right now, I believe safely half the population of this town is just as devoted to Ainz as they are to the traditional church. Or perhaps even more.

"Nonsense, Baraja-dono! You brought light to my life again and rekindled the faith I had lost in these trying times. On your way to the temple, I presume?"

"Of course. Would you like to accompany me?" I offer

A pained expression crosses Travis' face.

"I tried very hard to have someone take my shift so that I could participate in the weekly convent, but nobody would take it… most of the other guards currently off-duty are going, after all," he mutters enviously.

"Well, look on the bright side: the fact that you could not find someone to take your shift because everyone wants to worship Ainz-sama is a glorious thing, no?"

"Of course! And it's all thanks to you, Baraja-dono! Praise be to Ainz-sama!" he cries vehemently.

"Praise be to Ainz," I repeat with a bow: "well, I'll be off then".

I enter the city, my heart swelling with each step as I near closer and closer to the church of Ainz.

On my way there, I receive a handful of happy greetings and acknowledgements from all the townspeople I pass.

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I've made a bit of a name for myself.

"Greetings, Baraja-dono!"

"Off to the temple, Baraja-dono? Perfect, I'll see you there soon then!"

"Thank you for protecting the border and this town from the demihumans, Baraja-dono! Hail Ainz-sama!"

Of course, I still hear the occasional mutterings of 'she has such scary eyes', 'is she really a nice person with a mean face like that?' But I can easily brush them off, as it used to be much worse for me. I finally reach the base of the staircase leading up to the temple of Ainz—a monumental structure crafted from iron and marble, even larger than the traditional church on the other side of town. The pillars which uphold the overhanging roof over the entrance stand proudly. At the foot of the staircase where I stand, a large statue of Ainz-sama holding out a staff is erected on a pedestal, at least twenty feet tall.

I gaze up at the statue, sizing it up and down, and scrunch up my face.

'His face structure is much more chiseled and pronounced than that, and what's with all the supposed wrinkles in the fabric of his robes… no no, Ainz-sama's shoulders are much broader than that!'

I shake my head: no, the quality of the statue is about as good as it gets, crafted from marble by the town's most gifted sculptors. I'm just nit-picking.

But I suppose no statue of him will ever satisfy me, for stone can never hope to emulate his presence.

I quickly race up the stairs and throw open the brass-iron cathedral door.

_Creeeeeak!_

The double-doors swing open heavily, and I survey the quaint yet refined interior.

"Heok…" I gasp out in awe at all the people—the most there has ever been—filling up the benches. This is quite the reception...

how wonderful!

There's well over a hundred people in here!

"Ah, Captain Neia, so glad you could join us!" The preacher, Berralt Amber, a scruffy-faced and portly fellow who resembles more of a dwarven warrior than a man of God, cries out elatedly. In response to the preacher's proclamation, everyone's heads swivel around to face me and a chorus of happy voices cry out.

"Baraja-dono!"

"Baraja-dono, please, sit next to me!"

"No, sit next to me!"

"Will you be giving a speech today?!"

"I love you, Neia-senpai!"

"Praise be to Ainz-sama!"

"G-greetings…" I mutter faintly, as my head begins to spin from the cacophony of outcries and the weight of everyone's gazes on me.

I guess I'm even more of a celebrity than I imagined...

"Silence!" The preacher calls out, and his authoritative tone easily cuts through everyone's voices, though his smiling expression betrays his inflection: "indeed, we are all overjoyed to have Captain Baraja with us again today, as she is the one who graciously imparted her wisdom upon us and blessed us with a new, tangible faith to which we could devote ourselves wholeheartedly after all hope seemed lost!" he bellows, and I shift uncomfortably as everyone nods enthusiastically. Surely I am not deserving of such respect and admiration…

"However, remember that this is still a place of prayer for our saviour Ainz-sama, and you would all do well to remain respectful," the preacher adds sternly.

Everyone nods their heads apologetically before turning back around to face the front, and I begin to awkwardly seek out an empty seat on the bench in the back.

Just as I begin to sit down, however—

"Although, I just finished the morning sermon, Neia: would you care to take over and grace us with a story from your experience serving directly under our Lord and Saviour? We always appreciate a tale from the one who experienced first hand Ainz-sama's strength and wisdom"

Once again, everyone's expectant gazes fall on me.

I rise from my seat and smile.

"Of course, Berralt-san. I would be happy to," I respond.

Although I had fully intended to just sit down and reflect on how wonderful a man the Sorcerer King is while in the presence of like-minded individuals, I would never pass up an opportunity to proclaim his unrivaled greatness to the masses.

I take short, brisk strides towards the podium and turn around to face everyone.

"Hail Ainz-sama" I greet.

"Hail Ainz-sama!" The crowd responds deafeningly.

I begin telling the story of the prelude to Ainz-sama's fierce battle with Jaldaboth, how he dauntlessly charged forward, alone, after reassuring me of his impending victory: how he had refused to take me or anyone else with him, despite my pleas, for he was too caring and concerned for our safety.

I detailed what I experienced, from a full mile away from where the battle took place:

The shockwaves I could feel, even from such a great distance, which caused the structure I was residing in to tremble violently.

How the forms of The Sorcerer King and the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth, like two brilliant shooting stars of purple and red, danced in the sky, colliding with each other in midair time after time, unleashing powerful explosions and blasts of fire and electricity which made the hair on my body stand up.

A clash of two supreme, god-like beings.

'Oooooooh!'s and 'Uwaaaaaah!'s of admiration leak out from the captivated audience as I speak.

Just as I near the end of the story, the heavy doors to the church creak open, and, sensing a familiar presence, I pause my tale to see who it is that is entering.

My eyes widen.

"CZ-chan!" I exclaim excitedly as the short, orange-haired girl pokes her head in with an apathetic expression.

Her head bobs back and forth, searching the crowd before her gaze finally falls on me, the familiar voice. A small smile—one that only someone who is familiar with CZ could detect—graces her petite, dainty lips.

My heart melts. Ahhh she's as adorable as ever!

"Good afternoon, Neia-chan," she replies politely.

Of course, the crowd of people begin to chatter excitedly once again—for there is not a single person here who has not heard of CZ-san before, a loyal servant to the Sorcerer King who embarked with me on a subterfugal quest to rescue the Zern prince and liberate the city of Kalinsha, which had been taken over by the demi humans. With her help, we even managed to slay one of Jaldabaoth's commanders who conveniently arrived on site shortly after our own arrival.

I had told the story of that adventure here in the church before, and I of course did not neglect to mention how quiet and cute CZ is.

"She's as cute as Neia-danchou said!"

"How adorable!"

"Is she really as strong as captain Bareja said?"

Unable to resist the urge any longer, I leap off the stage and race up to CZ, seizing both of her hands happily. To my delight, she does not pull away.

"It's so good to see you again! How have you been?"

"Hello my scary-eyed friend. I am doing well, how are you?" She replies in a quiet, monotonous tone.

"I'm great, especially now that you're here: it's been too long! You said you would try and visit sometimes!"

"Sorry Neia-chan, I've been very busy lately".

"Of course, I'm not actually upset with you! But… I don't suppose the Sorcerer King himself is here with you, is he?" I ask hopefully, and I hear everyone behind me shift in their seats excitedly.

"No, Ainz-sama is not here. He sent me to see how things were developing here, and he also tasked me with delivering a gift".

"Awwww..." everyone moans lamentably, as the hope of seeing their God had been dashed.

My face must be reflecting my own disappointment because Neia quickly reaches up and begins patting me on the head.

"There there, my cute-in-an-ugly-way friend. You will be graced with Ainz-sama's presence again some day. Here, have a sticker of consolation".

_Fwap!_

I feel a sticky object slap its way onto my forehead. I smile, knowing that these stickers are things that CZ uses to adorn the things that she likes.

And wait a minute..!

"A gift from Ainz Ooal Gown-sama?" I venture tentatively, unsure if I had heard correctly.

The maid nods her head robotically.

"Yes, that's right. A substantial supply of runic weapons to empower your defense against the demi humans. I have been routinely reporting all of your efforts, and Ainz-sama is most pleased with how much his reputation has grown and improved. Think of this as a token of appreciation for the continued support of you and the people" she states plainly, stepping aside and opening the door even wider to reveal the outside world.

-!

My eyes widen.

"Oooooooh!" A choir of cheers erupts behind me as every jumps from their seats to examine Ainz-sama's gift.

Just outside the entrance, at the top of the staircase, lies a gigantic sack filled to the brim with magically-enhanced equipment.

Bows, swords, axes, helmets, tunics, boots, you name it: all sorts of glowing, runically enchanted armaments.

"This is… we can't possibly accept this…" I sputter in disbelief.

"Ah, Ainz figured you might say something like that. He says he will not accept a refusal of his good will: 'hard work must be rewarded appropriately', he said. In my unqualified opinion, I think this newly-founded church is proof that you have worked hard enough for the Sorcerer Kingdom," she assures.

I blink my eyes repeatedly as they begin to sting with warm tears.

Ainz-sama…

"V-very well..!" I concede, wiping my eyes furiously with my sleeve: "Please, tell Ainz-sama that we are eternally grateful to him and will continue working as hard as we possibly can so that we may live up to his immense charity!"

I hear a number of _Sniffs _and gasps echo out behind me from jaw-dropped mouths.

When suddenly—

_DONG! DONG! DONG!_

The sound of a gigantic bell echoes harrowingly throughout the town.

That's the warning bell—!

CZ cocks her head to the side in confusion, and worried murmurs break out behind me.

I quickly race to the top of the stairs and look out for signs of trouble.

-!

Along the northern horizon beyond the treeline, I see massive pillars of billowing smoke rising up into the sky.

Could it be—!

"Baraja-dono! Baraja-donooooo!" a panicked voice cries out, and I look down to see a familiar form clamouring up the staircase.

"Travis? What is it, what's happened?" I ask sternly.

"We… the wall…please hurry..." he gasps out incoherently: "it's about to fall!"

.

.

.


	8. Chapter 8

**In The Flesh**

**Chapter 8: "Betrayed From the Start"**

**POV Neia**

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**.**

**.**

"Travis, what do you mean the wall is about to collapse?!" I cry out, seizing him by the shoulders.

"I-I just got a report from o-one of your men at the gate... D-demons… h-hundreds of demons…" he sputters weakly, staring dazedly towards the smoke-streaked horizon.

Demons!?

I release Travis and clench my fists. I leave the outpost for two damn seconds and look what happens!

The people of the town have finally begun to notice the foreboding flames licking the distant sky, eliciting cries of confusion and panic from all around as everyone scrambles out of their homes to get a better view of the encroaching calamity.

"Travis!" I shout - but my words do not seem to register with him.

I grab him by the shoulders again and shake him violently: "Travis!"

He finally snaps out of his stupor and looks to me with wide eyes.

"Y-yes, Bareja-danchou?" He asks meekly.

Poor guy... he's been a town guard all his life, and he's even younger than me. He's never even faced the horrors of the demi humans before, let alone demons. I would imagine the fiercest battle he's ever experienced would've been against a wolf that may have tried to enter through the city gate, scrounging desperately for food: or perhaps settling a bar fight...

So of course he'd be petrified at a time like this, when faced with the reality that he may have to battle demons.

I soften my expression.

"Travis, I need you to get a grip" I order.

He nods shakily after a moment, and I see his adam's apple lurch uneasily as his eyes fall once again on the smouldering horizon.

"I need you to gather all the townspeople in the city square and tell them what's happening. You and the other guards need to protect everyone. You have to be strong" I command.

"G-got it!"

I turn around to face CZ and bow my head:

"Shizu-chan, you've already done so much for this country, and I know you were only sent here to deliver a gift and thus have no obligation to help but… could I enlist your assistance one more time?" I plead.

She tilts her head to the side and hums pensively.

"... very well. I'd be happy to help Neia-chan for a while. I will carry the bag of runic equipment with us, as I'm sure the extra firepower will be appreciated" She informs.

I look to the impressive stockpile of glowing armaments.

"Yes, we're very fortunate to have received your gift right before this happened… Lady Luck must be smiling on us today, huh?" I note with a whistle.

"Mhm…yes, Lady Luck, definitely" CZ muses in a playful tone, hoisting the 'gift' over her shoulder.

…

The second I entered the forest, the scent of burning debris plagued my nostrils and stung at my eyes.

We're still nearly a kilometre away - for the smoke to have travelled this far already with only a subtle breeze to guide it...this is some fire!

I look up ahead at CZ's back, who, despite carrying a comically gigantic bag on her back, has pulled far ahead of me.

I had wondered how she had managed to bring that huge sack up the stairs to the Temple of Ainz, since it must weigh a literal tonne, but it seems I grossly underestimated her strength.

Is everyone under the Sorcerer King this powerful? I shiver at the thought.

"Shizu-chan, you see anything?" I call out.

"No, I just scanned the environment around us and there are no enemies. No demons have made it this far yet" She reassures.

"Then perhaps the wall is still intact!" I cry out hopefully

"Maybe..." CZ offers with a shrug, though her tone is laden with doubt.

As we draw nearer to the outpost, the smoke becomes thicker, obstructing the sky above the canopy of trees, and desiccating my eyes. An oppressive wave of heat envelops us as well, and I begin to sweat profusely.

This is definitely hell fire, the work of demons…

I look to CZ, who appears to be completely unfazed by the inhospitable conditions. Does she perhaps have a fire immunity item on?

_Fush!_

I push away the last branch of foliage in my way before clearing the forest.

-!

Sheer pandemonium.

The outpost itself is engulfed in a massive vortex of flame. Chunks of wood and stone are strewn about all over the place, the remnants of sniper nests that had been blown to smithereens.

Worst of all, the wall itself has already been breached, and a large swarm of demons is already beginning to push through.

The only thing keeping them outside now is the large group of foot soldiers desperately forming a shield and spear wall around the hole.

The archers in the rearguard, and those perched atop the smoking wall continue to shoot volley after volley of arrows into the advancing army.

But I can see - their quivers are almost empty. Most demons take more than one arrow to slay, even if theyre enhanced with weak holy magic. Aside from, obviously, the particularly weaker demons, like imps and hellhounds, which can be felled easily enough with a single, well-aimed arrow. That being said though, even the lowliest of demons are more threatening than your average demi human.

Luckily, it looks as though most of the demons here are weaker variants: imps, hellhounds, fire spirits, and lesser-horned devils, mainly.

But then...

Where is their leader? None of these things could've blasted down the wall or set the entire outpost ablaze... it just doesn't make sense...

"Hold formation! Hold!" I hear Elric shout to his men, as he swings his sword, cleaving an imp in two.

The wave of demons crashes powerfully against the shield wall. The guards that received the brunt of the impact stagger back.

_Thud!_

Just enough to disrupt the formation and allow the demons to break through.

Since they had managed to get their foot in the proverbial door, the army of demons quickly plows through the formation's gaps, killing a handful of shield-bearers as they advance towards the archers and priests.

"No! Protect the rear-guard!" Elric shouts frantically.

He quickly spins around to intercept the creatures closing in on the defenseless backline.

But in doing so, a hellhound quickly pounces at his exposed back, its fiery jaws agape, ready to clamp down on his head.

In a practiced movement as natural as breathing, I quickly sling my bow off my back and feed an arrow into the drawstring. Without taking even a millisecond to take aim, I release my projectile.

_Fling!_

"Urrowwww!" The hellhound yelps as a glowing white arrow sinks into its throat. It drops to the ground like a sack of potatoes, and lava-like blood gushes out of its neck, sizzling the ground around it.

Elric whirls around in shock and his eyes land on the hound's corpse, laying barely a metre behind him. He notices the arrow and traces its origin path back to me. He smiles for the briefest of moments and I can see him mouth the words 'thank you'. He quickly jogs over to us.

"Captain! Thank god you're here, we have no idea where these demons came from! They suddenly appeared and-!"

"Now is not the time, Elric! We'll talk later!" I assure

"R-right! Um, captain… who is-?"

"CZ, a direct subordinate of the Sorcerer King"

"Ah! Then-"

_THUD!_

As if it were her way of introducing herself, CZ drops the supply bag on the ground with a heavy thud and undos the drawstring: the bag unravels into a brown blanket laid out on the ground, upon which sits a heap of scintillating equipment in all its splendor.

"W-whoa!" Elric squeaks in awe.

"I believe a regroup and resupply is needed to turn the tide of this battle, Neia-chan" CZ suggests, nodding towards the battle.

I glance around us analytically.

Now that the shield formation has been broken, all hell - quite literally - has broken loose. The frontline is in shambles and the battle has devolved to a chaotic clash of 1v1's between soldiers and demons. Meanwhile, a handful of beasts have also charged forward to tear through the unprotected backline.

Nothing is going in our favor now.

"You're right... " I mutter.

I quickly loose a handful of arrows in rapid succession to kill the immediate threats to the backline.

The archers and priests quickly stare down at the fresh corpses in astonishment.

"Oi, everyone!" I cry out as loudly as possible.

"Captain Bareja!"

"Captain!"

"The captain is here!"

Relieved cries echo out in response as more and more heads swivel my way.

"Vanguard, regroup back to my position! Archers, cover their retreat! Priests, erect a barrier of protection between us and the demons as soon as you can to give us some time!" I shout.

"Understood! Everyone, fall back!"

"You heard the captain!"

"Aye!"

Various cries of acknowledgement ring out - and while the majority of my men could be classified as 'rabble rousers', when push comes to shove, they're nothing to scoff at.

My chest begins to swell with pride as I watch my men spring into action as though this course of action was preemptively decided.

We've all grown a lot as warriors since coming to this outpost, where demi human combat occurs just about every other day…

It'll take a lot more than a couple hundred minor demons to take us down!

The melee-combatants begin to swiftly disengage from their enemies as cleanly as possible. Sadly though, as I had feared, as more and more soldiers successfully do so, the fates of those that were deeper in the fray are sealed: their comrades' escape leaves them grossly outnumbered, prompting dozens of voracious demons to collapse on them from all sides.

I grimace at the sound of their blood-curdling cries, as the demons drag them down, swallowing them into the horde.

Blood, entrails, and entire limbs alike are all spewed into the sky from the positions they stood in just a moment ago.

An unavoidable sacrifice…

As soon as all the stragglers are taken care of, the demons, their mouths dripping with viscera, give chase to the foot soldiers' backs, unwilling to let even a single prey escape.

"Those bastards..!" Elric seethes from beside me.

Suddenly, a disturbing screech is projected from high above.

"Keeeeeeee!"

Hellbats - of which there are about a dozen - are the first to catch up to the retreating soldiers, swooping down from the sky in a vicious dive while gnashing their teeth ferally.

"Archers!" I shout.

The collective sound of dozens of bows' drawstrings being pulled taut rings out.

At the same time, I load three arrows of my own into my bow and take aim.

"Hold!" I shout, watching the hellbats dive lower and lower towards their prey with greedy, burning eyes.

Just as they stop flapping their wings erratically and extend their claws, to glide steadily in order to ensure the capture of their targets, I cry out:

"Fire!"

_Fwing fwing fwing!_

A hail of arrows flies forward, strong and true.

Since the hellbats had stopped their dive and were gliding horizontally at a uniform speed, not a single arrow missed its mark. Half a dozen projectiles rip into each individual hellhound and they drop to the ground in grotesque heaps of crumpled wings.

The next group of creatures to catch up would be…

"Ready another volley! Draw! Aim!" I shout as I watch the frothing hellhounds gallop closer and closer.

They're almost here-!

A bead of sweat trickles down my brow.

Just as the leading hellhounds pounce towards their fleeing prey...

"Release!"

Another volley of dozens of arrows fly through the air with a sharp whistle, each one finding its target. The hellhounds all drop like puppets that had their strings cut, and the burning flames of hatred vanish from their now void-like eye sockets.

I nod in satisfaction and an imperceptible grin graces my expression as I shoot a sideways glance to my platoon of archers.

Seems all that time spent on the range with them has paid off. I'm truly proud of them.

But now's not the time to celebrate…

I look to the group of priests and clerics, holding hands in a circle - a bright yellow glyph glows promisingly on the ground around their feet.

"Do it now!"

"U-understood, Bareja-dono! Let's do this!" The leader of the clerics, Unther Baldrin, a third tier divine magic caster, cries out in response.

He and the other five holy magic disciples begin to chant:

"O merciful God, lend us your power in our time of need so that we may protect your servants: Divine Barrier!"

_Wuuuuong!_

With a bliinding flash, a massive wall of light, spanning more than 30 metres in length and 10 metres in height, suddenly erects itself behind the footsoldiers, separating them from the pursuing demons.

"Grooooooo!"

_Crash!_

The horde of bloodthirsty demons crashes into the translucent barrier and it flickers momentarily.

"Urk…!" Unther pants out, his arms raised to the sky and visibly trembling.

About a hundred demons begin to swipe, slam, and bite at the barrier relentlessly.

"Captain… It won't… hold…. for long!" Unther spits out through gritted teeth as an alarmingly prominent vein bluges out from his neck

"Understood: everyone who still has air in their breath, take up these new arms:magical equipment imported from the Sorcerer Kingdom!" I bellow.

"Ta-daaaaaaaa!" CZ cries out with a stoic expression and a monotonous voice from beside me while stepping aside to allow a better view of the pile.

Every soldier has a completely dumbstruck look on their face as they ogle the mound of equipment with unblinking eyes. None of them move or make a sound, as if locked in a trance-like state from the mesmerizing glow of the runic equipment. I notice a few men begin to tear up joyfully, wipe at their eyes, and shake their heads, as though to check and see if it was all an illusion.

_Bang!_

The demons continue to pound furiously at the barrier, and it flickers falteringly. A small handful of the smarter ones have begun to circle around the barrier, and others still have started climbing on top of each other, and have almost reached the top of the wall.

_Wuu-uu-ong!_

One of the clerics collapses to the ground.

We're out of time!

"Now is not the time to stare and twiddle your thumbs! Take up arms, and let's drive these bastards back to the fiery hole from which they crawled out!" I shout, snapping everyone out of their daze.

They all quickly rush to the pile and begin rummaging through. Most of them quickly pick up suitable weapons: but some even take the time to quickly outfit themselves in new helmets or boots.

It only takes about thirty seconds before everyone is back in proper formation, donning all sorts of shiny new toys.

"Captain-!" Unther cries out in anguish before promptly dropping to one knee.

"Everyone! Steel your nerves and muster your resolve! We are the first and last line of defense between these abominations and thousands of innocent civilians - friends, family, and loved ones, will all perish should we fall here!"

"Hoooooooooooooooh!" All my men let out a fierce battle cry.

Wuuuu-

The barrier collapses and the demons charge forward hungrily.

The frontline raises their magic shields, and the spear-bearers stick their weapons between the small gaps: some spear-points glisten blue with frost, letting off a chilling mist; others shine white with holy magic; and others crackle with electricity or burn with fire. All of them together create an impressive display of colors.

Behind them, the warriors raise their similarly empowered swords and axes, and the archers all draw immaculately crafted arrows with sparkling tips from their new quivers.

We have practically every magic element I can think of at our disposal.

"W-wow…" I hear a large handful of people mutter in astonishment.

Most of these men are just normal infantry soldiers, whose salaries and status would - normally - never even allow them to touch such powerful weapons.

I'd imagine most of them never even dreamed they would one day be able to wield such legendary equipment.

Hell, I sure didn't.

A salty sting assaults my eyes and I blink furiously to hold the tears back.

Ainz Ooal Gown sama-!

Surrounded by such a spectacular myriad of bright colors, I had almost forgotten our dire situation.

_Boom! _

The demons once again crash into the defensive line of shield-bearers.

…

Though unlike before, the formation is not weakened at all.

Their shields planted firmly in the ground, the shield wall refuses to budge even an inch, even now as the demons continue to wail on them.

"Oryyyyya!" The spear bearers cry out, thrusting their tips outwards: bursts of ice-cold mist, flashes of electricity, and eruptions of light and fire explode out powerfully from every strike, blasting back group after group of shrieking demons.

A veritably impenetrable defense… I think even Remedios would have a tough time charging through this!

_Whooosh!_

Every hair on my body simultaneously stands up and a cold shiver runs down the back of my spine, as bolts of ice and electricity whistle past me from behind on either side, leaving behind streaks of blue and yellow as they streak devastatingly over the shield-wall and into the demons.

This is...

I don't even need to reach for my own bow.

The battle is already almost over.

The demons attack futilely at the immovable frontline, while getting picked off by the dozens thanks to the archers in the back.

This has turned into a massacre. I almost feel bad for the demons…

almost.

To think, the enemies which had easily trampled through our defenses just a few minutes ago, now seem like little more than target fodder thanks to this new equipment.

I smile.

An overwhelming, perfect victory for the Sorcerer Kingdom.

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Aiiiiinz-sama!" Neuronist cries out in protest as I approach Zesshi, currently chained to the wall in a starfish-like pose, dressed in tattered brown rags.

"Surely, Ainz-sama, there is no such spell that would allow someone to avoid giving any information under any circumstance! I swear on my life, that I will have this adorable little specimen coughing up any information you desire within an hour!" Neruronist assures, running a slimy tentacle over Zesshi's face, who grimaces in response.

"Neuronist: I am not here because I doubt your… ahem, talent, for gathering information… rather, well… curiosity has simply gotten the better of me this time - she seems so adamantly confident in this so-called world class item that I simply must take a look and determine the veracity of her words. But…"

I shoot a glare at the chained up girl and she stares right back with murderous intent.

"..But, I predict that she was simply bluffing as a last ditch effort in a desperate situation"

Surely, there is no such item with such precise, circumstantial powers as the one she described… besides, while I may have been a bit flustered by the concept when she first mentioned it and my neurotic mindset took over, thinking logically now, such an item would have no reason to exist to begin with. It would have no purpose in Yggdrasil: it was a very advanced, full dive game for sure, but at the end of the day, that's all it was - a game. There was no capturing and torturing of players for 'information'. Obviously, you could not mind control other players IRL through their game avatars. And besides, with the pain nullifiers, torture would be fruitless to begin with, and even if somehow a guild did manage to capture another player, all that player would have to do is log out and re-log back in and they would respawn at their own guild.

So the existence of a world class item like the one Zesshi described is completely preposterous.

Yet even now, she remains ever so sure of herself and this WCI's power...

I need to find out why.

I bow my head slightly towards Neuronist:

"Forgive me, I know you do not get an opportunity to put your skills to use very often, so I apologize for delaying your work even more"

"A-ainz-sama, pleeeease raise your head! As they say: anything worth doing is worth waiting for!" She moans in a seductive tone and her tentacles quiver grossly.

A shiver runs down my spine.

Yuck…

"A-ahem, indeed, those are wise words to live by" I cough out.

Now then…

I raise an arm and extend my palm out towards Zesshi.

She squirms briefly with all her might to attempt to break free - but all she manages to do is create a faint metallic jingle

"You're wasting your time…" She seethes bitterly.

"I know - because there's no way such a powerful seal is placed on you" I retort.

"[Greater Detect seal!]" I cry out.

My hand lets out a faint blue glow and the color perception of my vision changes in tune with the flow of mana. Everything goes dark around me, and the only thing that remains visible to me is the blue, vein-like patterns of mana within every living thing.

[Detect] spells and such have become a lot more surreal since coming to the new world… In Yggdrasil, there would just be a faint light and a message would pop up in the corner of my screen such as '[Detect seal] was cast - found nothing' or 'detect seal was cast - [insert spell name] was found'.

But now, my very perception of the world around me alters completely

And Zesshi's mana patterns…

"Ahaha...ahahahaha!" I bellow in relief: "No sign of a seal, just as I thought! I knew it was silly of me to even entertain the possibility of such an item existing!"

A look of confusion crosses Zesshi's face and her eyebrows furrow.

"What?"

"Ahaha… enough, you can drop your pitiful charade now. I have irrefutably confirmed that you possess no kind of protective seal at all"

Zesshi's eyes narrow in anger.

"That's impossible... Lies! Just try and torture me then!" She roars indignantly.

Hmm?

Why is she still acting like this?

"Still sticking to your desperate ploy until the very end? How deplorable…" I turn around and begin walking confidently towards the exit, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulder.

"Neuronist, you may begin extracting information" I say with a dismissive wave as I approach the exit.

Seems I was all worked up over nothing! I pause at the door for a brief moment and count down in my head.

3

2

"Understood, Ainz-sama! Thank you for-" Neuronist begins to reply with a bow.

...1

"S-sorcerer King!" Zesshi suddenly cries out in flustered tone.

I grin to myself. How predictable. Now faced with the harsh reality that I truly had not fallen for her ill-conceived deception, she is forced to accept the cruel fate which awaits her.

For what she did to Lupusregina, I had been secretly hoping she would break down at the end, and it seems I was correct.

It is true, that the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

I whirl around in an exaggerated manner:

"Zesshi, if you intend to beg for your life, then-"

My smile fades and the callous words catch in my throat.

Instead of seeing a panicked expression like I had expected, I'm instead met with a head hung low and a surprisingly calm demeanour.

"...Sorcerer King… is there truly no seal placed on me?" She whispers, and a chill runs down my spine at her gentle, quiet tone.

This is not the reaction I was expecting.

Could it be that she truly believed there was some all-powerful, fantastical spell cast on her?

Seeing her like this, neither distraught, nor panicked, nor furious… kinda takes the wind out of my sails.

"No, there is no such spell protecting your mind, Zesshi Zutsumei" I assure in a bassy voice.

"But… I remember… the ceremony…" she mutters, and I see her begin to tremble ever so slightly.

She lifts her head up and looks me in the eyes, her gaze brimming with rage.

But not directed at me.

I can tell. No, the anger burning in her eyes…

Is a vengeful hatred spawned from a sense of having been betrayed: she bears an expression that implies she is entertaining countless simulations in her head regarding countless ways of how to brutally kill someone who is not currently present in this room.

Or is this all a facade too? She's a very good actor, if that's the case…

Perhaps I will humor her for a bit longer.

"A ceremony?" I repeat inquisitively.

"Yes… when I was first given the title of Treasurer, I was immediately brought to a dark room atop the Slane Theocracy's capital's temple… the arch bishop was there, as well as the pontifex and members of the supreme council… and a few others I did not recognize. I was put to sleep, and when I awoke some hours later within the treasury, the bishop informed me of what had transpired: that a powerful seal of protection had been placed on me to protect my mind and soul if I were ever captured by an enemy… he said I had fallen asleep because it took a toll on my body as it was being placed".

Interesting...

"..." I remain silent, allowing her to continue.

"But… Ainz Ooal Gown-dono… I remember FEELING it, for weeks after! A slight burning, tingling sensation at the base of my skull for many days after I woke up!" She shouts.

I tilt my head to the side curiously:

"Perhaps it was some sort of placebo effect?" I offer.

"A what effect? Is that some sort of spell?"

"Er… never mind"

I bring a hand to my chin. No, someone as powerful and self-confident as Zesshi would not be so impressionable as to feel side-effects just because she was told she would…

Then… what does this mean, exactly?

Perhaps…

My eyes widen.

-!

There is something I must confirm.

"Zesshi. Have you ever even been in a situation where the effects of a mind-protecting seal could have even been tested for?"

"Hm? Of course not. I am one of the most powerful beings in this world, I've never even come close to being captured before. Until I met you, there was nobody who could stand against me, much less take me alive" She responds proudly.

I hold back the urge to laugh at her arrogant statement, seeing as how she's currently strapped down to the wall in nothing but rags.

But, it's as I thought:

"And, Zesshi, you spend a great deal of time residing within the Slaine Theocracy's temple, yes?"

"... Indeed" she responds hesitantly, as though trying to figure out where I'm going with this:

"My very existence, as the Slane Theocracy's greatest trump card, is a best-kept secret and I rarely venture out"

"I see. Then, Zesshi, don't you think it a bit strange that they would even bother putting such an elaborately powerful seal of mind protection on you?"

"... I'm not sure I follow" she hisses

"I have a theory..." I raise an outstretched hand once more towards Zesshi.

"W-what are you doing now?" She asks

"Silence. Just wait" I command. Zesshi bites her lower lip petulantly.

"[Detect Curse]" I chant.

Similar to when I cast [detect seal], the world around me darkens and my vision shifts spectrums.

I narrow my eyes triumphantly at the condensed, ominous ball of dark red energy, oozing with malice, located at the base of Zesshi's neck.

Hm?

But I don't recognize this spell. What is this? I can't even tell what tier of magic it is.

This feeling… is different. The mana itself feels… I'm not even sure how to describe it. More primal and untamed?

"[Appraise curse]"

Curse: ?

Level: ?

Target: Single

Effect: a latent curse which can be activated at any moment by the caster, instantly killing the target provided that they do not have resistance to instant death magic.

-!

An instant death magic curse?!

There is someone in this world who can cast everlasting, instant death magic? A curse of this caliber… I've never seen anything quite like it.

This is bad news…

"Zesshi, who did you say it was that cast this spell on you again?"

"The archbishop"

"No, I'm afraid you're mistaken" I offer ambiguously as I reread the curse's description.

"What?! But-" She begins to protest

"This magic cast on you… it is not the work of one of your nation's legendary artifacts. That, I can guarantee. I can also assure you that this was not placed on you by your archbishop… unless you mean to tell me that your archbishop likes to dabble in the practice of high level curses?"

"A...curse..?" Zesshi murmers in disbelief.

"Allow me to show you...[Disable Curse: Maximize Extraction]" I cry out, placing my hand over the back of Zesshi's neck.

After a brief moment, the curse begins to permeate out from her body.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaa!" Zesshi wails in agony as the dark red mana begins to seep out of her, collecting in a perfect sphere floating above my palm.

I withdraw my hand from behind her and hold the ball of malevolent energy in front of her face.

"Huff… huff…what… is that?" She pants tiredly, and a bead of cold sweat trickles down the side of her pale face.

"Zesshi Zutsumei… It seems you have been sorely duped from the very beginning"

.

.

.

.


	9. Chapter 9

**In The Flesh**

**A/N: so, I realize it's been a long time since my last update. In fact, if I had been following my update plan as promised, this should actually be chapter 11 being uploaded right now.**

**But a series of unfortunate events has struck: the sudden and unprecedented death of a family member, and the (small) flooding of my home's basement while I was attending the funeral for the aforementioned family member. Oh and then, I did some work on this story while staying at a hotel, but did it in google docs' offline mode because internet was rather shoddy - I had gotten about 2,000 words down between 1-3 in the morning before going to bed and closing my laptop, I awoke the next day to find that it did not save (grrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAH!) **

**So with that setback and everything else souring my mood, I'll admit I hit a bit of writer's block these last two weeks.**

**So yeah, hectic days.**

**I hope everyone is having a better summer than I am so far: I should be on track now, although next update might be a little late as well.**

**Enjoy.**

Chapter 9: Burning Vengeance

**POV Zesshi**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"What do you mean I've been duped from the very beginning?" I seethe.

The Sorcerer King stares back at me with a look of pity, serving only to incense me further.

"I mean, Zesshi, this curse inside of you… how should I put this... yes, it's a killswitch. A spell that can be activated at any moment by the caster, that would cause your heart to explode, killing you instantly" he finally responds quietly, raising a hand to stroke his chin thoughtfully while staring down at the crimson orb levitating above his hand. He's nodding his head slowly, as if admiring some hidden beauty to the ugly mass of cruel mana.

I feel my blood begin to boil from his aloof demeanour, despite his world-shattering declaration.

I… don't understand!

My head begins to spin, swept up in a raging monsoon of emotions.

Confusion, sadness, and anger.

I clench my fists and bite my lower lip, drawing in a slow, deep breath: it's all I can do to stop myself from screaming.

"What do you mean… a killswitch..?" I spit out in a trembling voice.

Implanted within me, without my knowledge? Impossible!

The people of the Slane theocracy would never place such a thing on me, their strongest trump card! I'm a descendant of one of their revered deities!

Why would they do such a thing?! HOW could they do such a thing?!

I look to the Sorcerer King for further elaboration, but he simply closes his eyes in contemplation once again. Frustrated, dazed, and unable to control my emotions any longer, I can't help but reiterate my question in an inflammatory tone:

"Liar! What do you mean-!" I begin in a harsh tone.

Suddenly, the Sorcerer King's eyes flash open, and his irises flicker dangerously with an intense red flame.

Meeting his gaze, my breath hitches as I immediately recognize my mistake. How could I have been so foolish as to call to Sorcerer King a liar?

His magical aura swells to an unimaginable degree, and the air around us becomes noticeably heavier, now laden with powerful mana.

This pressure!

It's nearly suffocating.

Every emotion that had been swirling in my head is now replaced by a single, overpowering sentiment:

fear.

"Zesshi Zutsumei, ignorant worm of the Slane Theocracy! My word is law, and I will not stand to have it doubted by the likes of you, my foolish prisoner! Know your place!" He bellows angrily, and the entire room begins to quake violently in response.

A wave of nausea envelops me and my stomach lurches, as though I had begun freefalling.

This is ridiculous! If I were given another century - no, another millennia - would I even be close to reaching his staggering power level?

"F-forgive...me..." I barely manage to choke out.

And then, just as quickly as it came, the fire within his eyes suddenly goes out, and the Sorcerer King narrows his gaze. The air returns to its normal density.

I gulp down a mouthful of air greedily, now that I am able to breathe freely again.

So that was a taste of the Sorcerer King's power.

What a monster. Never before had I felt so close to death...

How could the Gods even allow such a monster to walk the mortal plane? His existence defies common sense!

No… maybe he is a God?

I shake my head. I don't even want to entertain such a possibility: though I would not need much more evidence to convince me that that is the truth.

In any case...

To anger or oppose the Sorcerer King is synonymous with suicide. I realize that now.

If only I could have a child with him! It would be utterly invincible! Perhaps…

As though sensing that my train of thought had derailed, Ainz suddenly cuts through my inner mumblings with an annoyed tone:

"Zesshi Zutsumei, let me make this very clear: everything you are, and everything you stand for is in my hands now: You are no more than a puppet at my disposal, and I could cut your strings in the blink of an eye" he spits out coldly, boring into my very soul with a piercing glare.

I swallow gravely.

A puppet, huh? I suppose that's what I've been all along, isn't it?

A bitter smile graces my lips.

"Hm? Is something amusing, Zesshi? Surely you are not so dense as to fail at grasping the hopelessness of your situation, right?"

"Ainz-Ooal Gown-dono" I begin in a soft tone, dipping my head down: "I beseech you, forgive my rudeness thus far. I understand the situation and the degree by which you outclass me. I am at your mercy...".

I hope he buys it…

Much to my delight, the Sorcerer King's glare softens perceptibly, and he nods his head in satisfaction.

"Good, I am pleased that you finally came to your senses".

"Truly, you are too benevolent, Gown-dono" I offer politely, bowing my head lower to hide the grin creeping up on my face.

Now, if I could just somehow convince him to spare me!

But then.

"Do not thank my benevolence just yet, Zesshi. Your fate may still be… undesirable, for you" he warns.

Think Zesshi, think! What could I offer him in exchange for my life?

What could I possibly offer a man such as Ainz-Ooal Gown?

When I put it like that, it seems ridiculous: is there anything I could give him that he does not already have, or could not easily obtain? He who has everything: absolute power, wealth, dominion… even beautiful women, if Lupusregina and that dark haired succubus from earlier are of any indication, so I cannot even resort to offering my body. Besides, a man as dignified as him would likely be offended by such a crude and meaningless offer.

Surely, someone as intelligent and clever as him has already realized this. There is nothing I can give him.

I bite my lower lip in frustration.

Is this really the end for me?

Over a hundred years of me naively believing myself to be the strongest being in the world has brought be here, to this very moment… a pitiful death, chained to the wall in nothing but rags, within the dungeon of an enemy nation.

"Now, Zesshi… frankly, I am not your typical undead: I do not derive pleasure from killing: in fact, I am rather averse to the act... so long as the particular life in question has value to me and Nazarick… er, the Sorcerer Kingdom" he explains, suddenly raising a hand and poking his index finger firmly into the centre of my chest: "So, Zesshi, tell me: do you have any intrinsic value? Can you prove yourself to be useful enough to warrant the continuation of your existence?"

I blink confusedly.

This… is my chance!

"Yes, I can be of use to you!" I blurt out immediately.

"Then please, tell me how".

"Well..! You see..!" I stammer. Shit! I had responded without thinking. What do I say now?! Damn it all!

The Sorcerer King tilts his head to the side disapprovingly and clicks his tongue, causing my heart to plummet into my stomach.

"Ah, of course, you just blurted out your response before actually having one is that it? Another futile act in the interest of self preservation… I must say, I'm a bit disappointed, Zesshi. Neuronist -" he turns his head to address his servant: "- I was mistaken. I apologize for delaying your work for so long: please, feel free to play with her to your heart's content and extract as much information as you can"

For some reason, his decision to use the word 'disappointed' really bothers me...

"Understood, Ainz-sama!" The ugly, whorish tentacle monster screeches gleefully, taking a step towards me.

At this rate-!

"Wait!" I shout out desperately, suddenly recalling something I had heard during one of the dull strategy meetings I had been forced to attend a few weeks ago: that the Sorcerer Kingdom had subjugated the lizardmen in less than a week's time. But even more astonishing than the swiftness of the take-over, is the fact that there had been an astoundingly low amount of casualties on the Lizardemen's side. Our estimates suggest that as many as 80% of the lizard population survived.

Why leave any of them alive to begin with? At the very least, considering the overwhelming disparity in power between the two groups, the lizardmen should've been all but annihilated.

So why? Nobody at the meeting could figure it out.

And that's the problem with the big-wig whelps of my nation: they try and overanalyze everything, attempting to come up with elaborate political schemes to explain the Sorcerer King's motive to keep the majority of the lizardmen alive.

But to me, the answer always seemed so obvious. And after meeting Ainz in person now, I'm all the more sure of it.

He even said it himself: he doesn't relish in the termination of life like an undead should.

In other words, the Sorcerer King conquered the lizardmen so painlessly simply because he didn't want to do it any other way. For some reason, he wants to rule over the lizardmen peacefully.

Perhaps... he wants to rule over everything peacefully?

The Sorcerer King pivots back around to face me with a stern expression.

"I grow weary of your desperate attempts at bargaining for your life" he declares in an exasperated tone.

"F-forgive me, Ainz Ooal Gown-dono… but I just thought of a way that I can be of service to you..." I reply meekly, wincing internally at my pitiful stutter.

"Hm? Let's hear it then" he says in a casual tone while assuming a nonchalant pose, leaning against the doorframe.

This carefree attitude all of a sudden… if I didn't know better, I'd say this entire exchange was all some elaborate test set up for me.

Gulp.

If my suspicion is correct, then I should be able to convince him that I can help in taking over the Slane Theocracy.

But if my hunch is completely wrong, or if Gown-dono already has a concrete plan to conquer the Slane Theocracy without the use of brute force, then…

I shoot a quick glance to the tentacle creature 'Neuronist', and shiver.

"You see, Ainz Ooal Gown-dono…" I begin.

But suddenly, my voice escapes me.

The Sorcerer King raises an eyebrow expectantly.

Why… why can't I speak? This is the only chance I have at saving myself! I can't squander it!

Am I… reluctant to betray the Slane Theocracy?

For somer reason, the face of my idiotic captain flashes through my head.

My homeland… the kingdom of my ancestors, and the Great Gods, who I've admired my entire life.

Is it really okay to turn my back on it all now?

"Ah, I see you're struggling to come up with an answer again. Or rather, perhaps, you are hesitating..? Mhm" The sorcerer nods knowingly, then looks to me with a surprisingly docile expression: "Perhaps a reminder that the leaders of your nation placed an instant death curse within you will help clear your mind of any… lingering doubts?" He offers.

It's as if he can see right through me! But still, hilariously enough, I had forgotten about that fact since I was subjected to his breathtaking power.

I narrow my eyes and look to the orb in Gown-dono's hand, oozing malevolent energy, with disdain. I lean forward from the wall.

"Ainz Ooal Gown… why do you think such a thing was cast on me?"

I need to know. Even if my offer is declined, and I should be killed here... I at least need to know WHY my people had cursed me!

The Sorcerer King raises his head towards the ceiling, as if in search of the right words.

A few seconds pass like that. I suddenly realize that I've been anxiously holding my breath all this time.

"Hmm… let me ask you this:" He finally begins, looking back down to me: "if, hypothetically, you were to - for some reason, and without my interference - go berserk and turn on the Slane Theocracy, would the nation be able to stop you?"

I tilt my head to the side quizzically. What a bizarre question…

"No, they would not. Nobody within the Slane Theocracy could ever hope to match me, and I have access to most of the nation's best treasures" I reply confidently.

"I see… so what you're saying is, there are no counter-measures in place that would be able to stop you if you were to betray the Slane Theocracy".

"... No, there are no such measures" I reassure.

Where is he going with this?

"What if I were to tell you with absolute certainty that such a measure does exist - or rather, did exist - in the form of this curse that was placed on you!" He declares boisterously, lifting the dark red orb in his hand up to my face for emphasis.

-!

My eyes widen in realization as my mind finally digests what was just said.

Why didn't I see it sooner?

I didn't want to believe it - mainly because my pride is crying out, screaming in protest to the idea that I had actually been at the mercy of the Slane Theocracy's fat, mewling nobles all along. But thinking logically, it all makes sense: of course they were afraid of my power, enough to resort to such a cheap, cowardly tactic!

All this time, I was just a tool to them… one that could be discarded at a moment's notice if I ever stepped too far out of line!

Those bastards!

I'll make them pay! Each and every member of the high council, all the nobles, the bishop, everyone! I won't rest until my scythe has reaped every last one of them, its blade incarnadined with their blood!

An ominous black energy begins to seep out of me, quickly filling the entire room in a dark haze.

The Sorcerer King snaps his fingers, and the physical manifestation of the curse suddenly sublimates into a fine pink mist.

"I ask you again, Zesshi! You, whose life has been in the palms of those much weaker than yourself for so long! Forced to dance to an unheard melody! How can you be of service to me?" He asks goadingly.

I clench my fists and take a deep breath to quell my trembling nerves.

His words sting like salt in a fresh wound, while simultaneously igniting my pride.

Those pompous insects of the Slane Theocracy...

I look forward to all the wonderful expressions they will make as my scythe tears through their flesh.

They will rue the day they ever thought they could control me.

I look up to the Sorcerer King with a sadistic smile:

"Sorcerer King… I will assist you with the conquering of the Slaine Theocracy!"

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Huff…" I sigh tiredly as I finally make it back to my chamber, crumpling to the floor against the door as soon as I had closed it.

That.

Was.

Exhausting.

And incredible! It went exactly as Demiurge had predicted!

But man! I felt like I was going to have a heart attack when I forced myself to get angry at her - but it was necessary, especially since Neuronist was in the room, that I needed to put her in her place and assert my dominance.

It seemed to work, she looked utterly petrified!

Exuding such confidence and power, allowing my temper to flare like that… it's something Suzuki Satoru could never have done until very recently!

...

And just like that, my euphoria is gone, replaced by melancholy.

I pause my train of thought, looking down at my flesh covered hand, and clench it tightly.

Despite this fleshy exterior… that's not really who I am any more, is it?

I get up slowly and approach the mirror above my bedside table, placing a hand against the face of my reflection.

It feels like I'm staring at a past life… a past reincarnation of me, a body that once was mine, but now feels foreign.

This skin, this blood… it doesn't feel like me.

It doesn't FEEL like I'm looking at me.

Part of my brain sees this reflection and screams 'That's Suzuki Satoru, it's you!", and yet another, even larger part, simply takes in this human form with nothing more than a fading sense of nostalgia.

What's wrong with me?

I've finally come this far and regained much more of my past self - my true self - than I ever thought possible, and yet…

I feel more detached from my humanity than ever before.

My true self…. what is that, exactly?

The human, Suzuki Satoru?

Or the Overlord of Nazarick, Ainz Ooal Gown?

Or some mixture of the two?

I shake my head solemnly and tear my eyes away from the mirror, plopping myself down on the bed behind me.

I slowly lay down and close my eyes.

What thoughts am I having, all of sudden… how ridiculous. Things are going perfectly fine here.

So why does my heart ache?

I wish I still had my emotion suppressor.

How ridiculous…

Ah, I suppose it's about time she begins her mission, hmm?

I hope my intuition was correct...

**POV Captain of the Black Scripture**

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I find myself standing outside the high council meeting room, my hand hovering just inches away from the handle.

It's been in this way that I've stood, motionless, for well over a minute now, with cold beads of sweat trickling down my forehead.

_Chatter chatter chatter_

I hear anxious mutterings from the other side of the door - an emergency meeting was arranged in light of Zesshi's disappearance.

That girl… to think she was actually defeated by the Sorcerer King.

It seems we underestimated his power.

I do not know for sure whether or not she's still alive, but…

I clench my outstretched hand tightly.

I hope she is.

I pray she is.

Losing her is a catastrophic loss for multiple reasons. For one, she's a god-kin: a living symbol of our country's faith. Her death assures that her bloodline, as a descendant of one of the Six Great Gods, will no longer continue: there's sure to be some political turmoil in the near future. It may even bring about the collapse of one of the six religious sects.

Secondly, Zesshi was our nation's most powerful weapon, our trump card - losing her results in a massive loss to our military might, for she alone had the value of tens of thousands of soldiers.

And lastly, the fact that she was carrying one of our nation's most precious and powerful artifacts, the Downfall of Castle and Country, when she was defeated, is another cause for concern - for not only have we lost it, but it seems overwhelmingly likely that the Sorcerer King has gained it.

As if he needed any more power…

The nervous, anxious energy beyond this door is palpable.

Here goes nothing…

_Ker-swiiiiiing!_

I swing the heavy door open and all heads swivel in my direction.

Silence.

The six cardinals who constitute the high council, the archbishop... even the pontifex himself, are all gathered around a large table, bearing troubled expressions.

"Any word, captain?" One of the cardinals asks in a quiet, broken tone.

"None my lord" I offer with a bow.

_Chatter chatter chatter_

"Captain!" Another cardinal suddenly addresses me: "In all your time leading the black scriptures, looking over Zesshi… is it actually possible that she was defeated by the Sorcerer King? I've heard she's a rather…. Ahem, free spirited character. You don't suppose she's just off doing her own thing, do you?" He asks hopefully.

I sweep my gaze across the room: all the cardinals are leaning forward in their chairs, earnestly awaiting my answer.

They're really all that desperate huh? Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…

I dutifully shake my head: "I'm afraid not. In all my time working with Zesshi, she's never fallen off the radar like this before after having been assigned a mission. And given all that we know about the Sorcerer King… I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that she was defeated"

All members of the high council slump back in their seats dejectedly after hearing my explanation, crushed by despair.

It's so strange seeing them like this. The cardinals are usually so stoic and stiff.

They must really be stressed out right now.

"Well, we know for a fact that she's alive" the pontifex's deep voice echoes out for the first time.

...

Huh? She is?!

A wide grin forms on my lips before I can stop myself.

I glance around the room: surprisingly enough, none of the cardinals look any more happy than they did a few moments ago. It's as if... they already knew?

"It is too early for celebrations, captain - for this fact comes with a very troubling implication" the pontifex addresses me in a stern tone.

I quickly clear my throat and force my smile away while bowing apologetically.

Implication..?

Ah.

My eyes widen and my throat tightens dryly as the realization suddenly dawns on me.

Silence descends on the room as a very sobering reality begins to sink in.

"Yes, it seems you all realize it" the arch-bishop speaks in a quiet tone: "it's as the captain of the black scriptures said: As care-free and volatile as Zesshi may appear, she's always been a reliable asset, and has always returned immediately after completing a mission. In other words, even though she lives on, it's very likely that she is being interrogated by the Sorcerer King for information as we speak"

A pain suddenly shoots through my heart and I reflexively clutch at my chest.

Zesshi...

"Now obviously, there is no conceivable way that we could free Zesshi. Unless someone here wants to try and storm the Sorcerer King's castle, or arrange a parley, you are more than welcome to" The pontifex declares sarcastically, looking around the room with a sharp gaze.

All the cardinals crumple under his eyes and turn away, their complexions reddening as they sheepishly scratch the back of their heads.

"Now then: that leaves us with only one option, doesn't it?" The archbishop ventures once more, looking towards the pontifex with a dutiful bow, who in turn nods his head with a grim expression:

"We have no choice".

With the pontifex's permission, the archbishop reaches into his robe, withdrawing a crude looking wand moments later.

It's rather small, only about a foot long. It's made of some sort of black, lustrous material. Its end branches off into a 4-pronged dragon claw with pointed talons, and within its clutches…

A sinister red orb speckled with black wisps, containing a dark red smoke. The orb's murky, swirling interior is reminiscent of fresh blood in water.

Just looking at it makes my skin crawl and my palms clammy, filling me with a sense of dread.

"The curse…" one of the cardinals mutters breathlessly.

A shiver runs down my spine at those words.

Curse?

I swallow gravely.

"Pardon me, but, what curse do you speak of milords?" I ask quietly.

I look around the table expectantly, surprised to find that none of the cardinals are willing to meet my gaze.

Finally, it's the pontifex himself who meets my gaze with a sympathetic look in his eyes:

"Captain… this is a curse which controls Zesshi's very life. It was placed on her when she became treasurer: with this wand, Zesshi's life can be extinguished with a single command"

!

What black magic is this?! Can such a thing even exist?

For some reason, I can feel a deep sense of indignation and anger begin to well up inside of me.

I guess that's to be expected, given that such a potent spell was cast on one of my best soldiers without my knowledge, all this time.

And Zesshi agreed to have such a thing placed on her..? I can't imagine that...

As though perceiving the gears whirring within my mind, the pontifex raises his hand apologetically.

"Forgive us, captain. As I'm sure you're wondering, we had the curse placed upon her without her knowledge, and so we thought it prudent to not tell you, given that you would be working so closely with her over the coming years. We did not want to risk her learning about it. As you can imagine, that revelation likely wouldn't bode well for any of us" he explains with a nervous chuckle,

As I thought…

I clench my jaw to stop it from trembling. Why does this bother me so much? I guess just the fact that Zesshi, who has always seemed to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants, with such an overwhelming air of self-confidence… to know that she's actually had a noose hanging around her neck all this time, ready to be tightened at a moment's notice if she ever stepped too far out of line.

It just doesn't sit well with me.

But I must hold my tongue… everyone in this room is my superior.

"... There is no need to apologize, my liege" I offer in a neutral tone.

"I'm thankful for your understanding. That being said, I trust everyone now understands that the day has come for this curse's activation" he segways casually.

!

For some reason, my mind had not yet drawn the obvious conclusion that this curse had been brought up for the purpose of activating it.

Surely nobody will-!

I look around the room frantically, and my eyes grow wider and wider as each of the cardinals begin to nod their heads, one by one.

"Good, then the decision is unanimous. I will now-" The archbishop begins to say, raising the wand towards the ceiling.

"Wait!" I cry out, taking a step forward.

The bishop flinches, and turns to me with a flustered expression:

"W-what is it captain?" He asks.

"I… I just…" I stutter lamely.

This is all happening so quickly!

"I just… think it might be a bit rash of us to kill her, one of our godkins, so quickly! The ramifications will be catastrophic, both politically and religiously! Surely there are other options we can-"

The pontifex slams his fist into the table with a deafening _thud!_

"Captain! The decision was unanimous between the high council, you must respect our decision!" He shouts.

I purse my lips.

To that I can say nothing.

"I… I apologize, my liege!" I shout, bending my upper body to be parallel to the floor.

A loud sigh leaks out of the pontifex's mouth.

"I don't like it any more than you do, captain. I assure you that none of the cardinals relish in doing this either. She is our most powerful weapon, and a living vestial of our faith. We all understand the consequences" he begins to add: "however… as it stands, Zesshi will not come out of this ordeal alive. Either, she dies now from the activation of this curse, or she dies within the next few days, locked within the Sorcerer King's dungeon, after every one of our nation's secrets have been violently extracted from her! Tell me, captain: which of those options sounds more appealing?"

I bite my lip.

I already know all that… but still! There has to be another way.

"Proceed, bishop Halord" the pontifex commands in a deep voice.

All I can do is watch in horror as the bishop begins to chant in an unrecognizable language. As the sinister red orb rises higher and higher, so too does my panic.

This doesn't sound like human magic..!

The orb begins to emit a deep red glow, faint at first, but soon manages to bathe the entire room in its evil light.

_KRAKA-THOOM!_

A fierce explosion of thunder rumbles out from the wand, causing the table to shake violently.

Everyone, save for the pontifex and the bishop, is trembling in their seats.

Even my knees feel weak.

_Crik!_

Signalling the imminent conclusion of the incantation, cracks begin to form along the orb's surface.

Zesshi-!

_ZRRRRRRrrrrrrrr…_

The red light dies down, and I watch, powerlessly, as the red orb shatters, evaporating into a fine powder, leaving the dragon's talon to clutch greedily at nothing but air.

A few moments of silence ensue, as everyone regains their composure.

I lean against the table to stabilize myself…

So just like that, she's…

"It's… over?" One of the cardinals finally speaks up.

All eyes fall on the bishop, whose face has become alrmingly pale and slicked with sweat.

"N-no…" he mutters weakly: "Something… is wrong…"

Everyone's eyes narrow in confusion.

"What do you mean, Hal-" The pontifex begins.

Only to be interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

Or rather, being broken down.

_Crash! _

The thick wooden door plummets to the ground behind my feet, letting out a more thunderous roar than the bishop's spell. The gust of wind which resulted from the falling door extinguishes all the candles in the room, plunging the room in darkness, save for a small square of natural light filtering in through the window.

An enemy?!

I whirl around, hand reaching for my sword's hilt.

But I cannot see who it is that stands in the doorway, as my eyes struggle to adjust to the dark.

"Just who do you think you are! Captain, take care of this at once!" The pontifex screeches.

"Shut up" Comes the venomous reply from the shadows, causing everyone behind me to flinch.

That voice..!

The intruder takes a step forward, emerging from the darkness and into the spotlight of natural light.

-!

All the cardinals suddenly scramble up from their seats, with unadulterated looks of terror plastered onto each of their faces.

"It can't be!" The pontifex cries out in disbelief, eyes wide with fright.

My face contorts to form a hundred expressions over the course of a second, before finally settling on a grin.

"Z-Zesshi! You're alive!"

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	10. Chapter 10

**In The Flesh**

**A/N: Well this one is almost on time lol. I've been in a much better mindset these past few days not that everything in my life is back on track - which means I should be back to realasing a chapter every 5-7 days. Thank you for your patience, and thank you to those who offered their condolences after my last chapter. I did not respond to your kind messages because quite frankly, I just wasn't in the mood to address it lol. But I do appreciate it.**

**Anyway, enjoy.**

**Chapter 10: Pulling the Strings**

**POV Captain of the Black Scripture**

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"Z-Zesshi! Thank heavens you're alive!" the Pontifex sputters, struggling vainly to keep his voice from cracking: "I-I'm so glad that you've returned safely: and with the ancient artifact as well! Well done!"

He congratulates with an emphatic clap of his hands - he clears his throat through a painfully forced smile, jolting the tense cardinals to life: they all begin to clap as well, laughing nervously as well... as if such shoddy acting will enforce the Pontifex's lies.

I sneak a glance towards Zesshi, beads of sweat trickling down my forehead.

A cold chill runs down my spine upon seeing her expression.

"Aw, how kind of you" She responds in a honey sweet tone, reciprocating the pontifex's forced smile: "So, what were you all talking about just now? Planning a party to celebrate my triumphant return, perhaps?" She ventures in an innocent tone, cocking her head to the side.

I grip the hilt of my sword even tighter, eyes trained on the half-elf god kin.

She knows. She knows about everything.

"Er…" the Pontifex mutters lamely before smiling weakly, his face growing paler by the second: "Yes… ahaha, party planning... we were doing just that! We meant for it to be a surprise, but you've caught us in the act. I guess we can't hide anything from you!" he confesses cheerfully. The other cardinals nod their heads as well.

"No, you really can't… I was bound to find out sooner or later" She replies in a low voice.

All the people in the room, myself included, flinch.

I don't think she's referring to surprise parties anymore..!

"Still… I am truly flattered, my liege, that you would prepare such wonderful gifts for my return!" She admits with a playful bow of her head, eyes lit up like a christmas tree.

"G-gifts..?" The pontifex stutters, utterly flabbergasted by her almost childlike excitement.

"Why, all of you, gathered here in one place! I couldn't have asked for a better gift!" She explains with a sweet smile.

A faint metallic ring suddenly echoes out.

In a movement so swift and fluid that I had missed it while blinking, Zesshi had drawn the scythe that was slung across her back. Its long, curved blade lets off a sinister shimmer under the pale moonlight, its tip dripping with fresh blood. Within the scythe's otherwise immaculate blade, one can see the reflection of eight men huddled against the back wall, trembling in fear.

"Since there's no cake, I'll just get right to opening up my presents!" She declares happily, taking another step forward.

"Z-Zesshi! What is the meaning of this! I, the Pontifex Maximus, order you to stand down!" The pontifex steps forward, putting on a brave face.

Zesshi ignores his order, continuing forward at a leisurely pace, with an unnerving smile plastered onto her face.

"Zesshi!" The pontifex screeches, his courage melting more and more with each of Zesshi's footfalls.

Then suddenly, he turns to me, face red with anger and desperation:

"Captain! Stop her at once! I order you to stop her!" He cries, jolting me from my initial shock of the situation.

For the first time since she entered the room, Zesshi stops moving. She turns her head back towards me, just enough so that she can see me over her shoulder through the corner of her eye.

Her grin widens condescendingly: "Yes, captain, why don't you stop me?" She asks jeeringly.

I instinctively draw my sword from its sheath as quickly as I can.

'Get in my way, and you will die' is what the glint in her eyes seemed to convey, sending a chill down my spine.

Nevertheless, I have a duty to fulfill! Steeling my nerves, I leap over the table and plant my feet firmly between Zesshi and the high council members.

"Zesshi… stop this!" I seethe through gritted teeth, raising the tip of my sword toward her in a defensive stance.

"Really now? Such a party pooper, preventing a girl from opening her presents..." she mutters jokingly.

She takes another step forward.

"Move" she asserts plainly.

I hear anxious shuffling and erratic breathing behind me, the high council members anxiously waiting to see how this interaction will unfold.

I narrow my eyes, meeting her cold glare.

I have no chance of winning. Although we are both god kins, Zesshi outclasses me by several levels. While I am certainly a cut above the Re-Estize kingdom's warrior captain, Gazef Stronoff, Zesshi still stands in a league of her own

I've sparred with her countless times for training, and not once have I ever prevailed.

Raw power aside, I'm still at a disadvantage in terms of equipment as well. As I often do within the castle walls, I eschewed my primary weapon - my spear - due to its large and cumbersome size, instead opting to carry my secondary weapon, a rather plain sword.

On the other hand, Zesshi is equipped with her divine scythe, passed down from the Great Gods. My sword might as well be a butter knife by comparison.

However, while I am wearing my typical armor, Zesshi is only wearing Downfall of Castle and Country, which offers very little in terms of defense. This marginally levels the playing field.

But it's still clear to see that Zesshi holds the advantage.

I shoot a quick glance towards the room's open entrance: squinting my eyes, I'm able to discern numerous corpses littering the hallway. Well that explains the blood already dripping from Zesshi's scythe They had been dispatched so quickly and effortlessly, that we had not even heard the massacre occur on the other side of the door from within this room. So that means no chance of backup, as I'm sure Zesshi would not have been so sloppy as to allow any to escape.

No matter how you look at it, I just can't win-!

Zesshi takes another step forward, letting out a small sigh.

"Fine, then…" She mutters lazily.

_Whoosh!_

Her scythe suddenly arcs savagely towards my throat.

I raise my sword at the last possible second to intercept the curved blade, but the force of the blow throws my arms to the side.

As I recoil back from the blow, she quickly follows up with a spartan kick, which connects with my gut.

_Kaboom!_

Her foot drives into me like a sledgehammer, sending my crashing into the wall on the opposite side of the room,

The floor and ceiling trembles violently from the impact, causing the unlit chandelier to crash to the ground, spraying shards of glass everywhere. At the same time, I fall from the newly formed crater in the wall, crumpling to my knees and gasping for air.

I quickly rise on shaky legs once more, and noticing that Zesshi has once more closed the gap between herself and the high council members, I surge forward with gritted teeth.

I pull my blade back:

"Martial art: Piercing Flurry" I cry out, thrusting my sword towards Zesshi.

Time slowed to a crawl for my sword wielding arm, allowing me to quickly unleash a flurry of eight simultaneous thrusting attacks, each of which possess enough power to puncture iron armor with ease.

Zesshi turns to face me, her eyes narrowing: "Martial art: Silver Whirlwind".

Her hands move at a blinding speed, deftly twiddling her scythe's grip between each of her fingers before passing it to the other hand, over and over at a speed too fast to follow, causing the weapon to spin in front of her at an alarming speed, like a hyperactive windmill.

_Ka-ka-ka-klang!_

The sound of eight overlapping clashes of metal echo out, sending a spray of sparks which briefly illuminates the darkened room in a faint orange glow.

All of my strikes were easily repelled by her whirling blade.

At the same time…

_Kring!_

Web-like cracks form along the surface of my sword's blade, its sturdiness having been pushed well beyond its limit after clashing so heavily with a top-class weapon.

It's useless now. Effectively disarmed, I leap back before she can counter attack.

To my surprise though, her posture indicates she had no intention of retaliating.

"Really now, captain, how can I take you seriously when none of your strikes were even aimed at any of my vital spots?" she asks, before adding with a smile: "I'm touched, really".

My eyes widen. Had I really just subconsciously directed my blade at her non-vital points?

In the end, I guess I just… can't kill her. I can't bring myself to even try. Why? Is it because a part of me feels that her desire for revenge is justified? That deep down, some part of myself can't forgive the high council for what they did?

Or maybe it's because… I lo-

"Zesshi, please, stop this…" A calm voice suddenly beseeches.

All eyes fall on the speaker, who has stepped forward and prostrated himself at Zesshi's feet, forehead pressed firmly into the stone floor.

"Raymond…" I mutter under my breath.

As a former member of the Black Scriptures and current overall commander of our nation's six scriptures now, he stands as the man with the most power and influence between all the cardinals.

He is both wise and amicable… and one of the few nobles of our nation whom Zesshi does not detest.

Perhaps… his words will be able to reach her?

"Zesshi, I beg of you: what we did to you was completely unreasonable, cowardly, and unjust. We all understand that now. Your anger is warranted, but please, do not do something rash that would devastate the country, your homeland. If you still insist on spilling blood, then please, kill me, but let the others live on. But if you could find it in your heart to forgive us, I swear that I will do everything in my power to make it up to you" he promises.

"Raymond…" the Pontifex gasps quietly.

Silence engulfs the room, as everyone continually shifts their gaze between the still-prostrating Raymond and Zesshi, awaiting her reply, and undoubtedly praying for her forgiveness.

After what feels like an eternity, Zesshi finally lets out an exasperated sigh and lowers her scythe to the ground.

Everyone's eyes widen hopefully.

Zesshi's lips curl into a relaxed smile, much unlike the sadistic one from before.

"... Fine. I accept your formal apology, Raymond" she finally responds, breaking the deafening silence.

As though her words had broken a spell that had been keeping us from breathing, everyone in the room lets out a collective sigh of relief.

"I-I'm glad you finally came to your senses, Ze-" the pontifex begins, clutching at his chest in relief, only to be cut off by Zesshi's harsh tone:

"Now now, I only said I accepted RAYMOND's apology. The rest of you must do as he did: only then will I be satisfied" she explains.

A look of shock crosses the faces of all the cardinals and the pontifex - even the archbishop, currently on the verge of passing out from his earlier mana expenditure, dons an indignant expression.

"Now you listen here Zesshi, we are still your superiors! We will not humiliate ourselves further by-!" One of the cardinals begins to protest in a high pitched shriek.

But his words quickly catch in his throat as Zesshi wordlessly raises her scythe once more. The color drains from everyone's face once more.

"Now, kneel before me" She commands with a grin, pointing to the ground in front of her for emphasis.

The seven men waste no time joining Raymond on the ground, forming a straight line of eight kneeling individuals. Though some are gritting their teeth in frustration, they all reluctantly place their foreheads to the ground.

My jaw drops. To see the eight most powerful individuals of our nation, prostrating on the ground before the Black Scripture's extra seat holder… it's a peculiar, and dare I say entertaining scene.

"Now, beg for my forgiveness" She orders with a sneer.

"..."

Silence. A few quiet 'go to hell' and other similar statements are quietly mumbled, making my heart skip a beat anxiously: but Zesshi seems unfazed by them… in fact, I think those comments only fueled her enjoyment.

Finally:

"We're sorry, please forgive us!" A chorus of apologies rings out in unison, though some voices were clearly less enthusiastic than others.

Nevertheless, Zesshi's grin widens even more.

"Forgive you for doing what?" She asks, feigning confusion.

I feel a smirk tugging at the corners of my lips. She's really going to make them say it, isn't she? I smile sympathetically at the kneeling individuals, some of whom are visibly shaking with rage.

I'd reckon some of them would choose death over this.

Still, this is a much better alternative to what Zesshi had originally set out to do…

After a few seconds of silence pass, eight voices cry out again, sounding even more reluctant than before.

"We're sorry… for placing a curse on you without your knowledge"

"...Good! Apology accepted!" Zesshi affirms with a satisfied nod.

Just as the cardinals begin to lift their heads from the floor, grumbling under their breaths, Zesshi gasps:

"Oh! I can't believe I almost forgot!" She cries out in a shocked tone, bringing a hand over her mouth in a dramatic fashion.

8 heads look up to her from the ground with worried expressions, wondering what other degrading atonement is in store for them.

"I nearly forgot!" She reiterates in a cheerful tone: "to open my presents!"

?

All the high council members exchange confused looks, unsure of how to interpret her discombobulating statement.

But an instant later.

_Schwachink! Schwachink!_

Two arcs of silver fly through the air at blinding speed.

_Splurt!_

An instant later, seven fountains, spewing forth warm crimson fluid, erupt from fleshy stumps.

At the same time, seven roundish objects fly across the room, slamming into walls with sickening thuds.

_Sqursh!_

One such object crashes into the ground just in front of me. Apprehensively, I look down.

The archbishop's pale face stares up at me from my feet, his bloodshot eyes twitching disconcertingly.

A wave of nausea overcomes me in that moment and I forget to breathe, staring directly into the bishop's final gaze. His mouth opens, and his tongue lolls out limply, its tip touching the floor. His mouth begins to move, but no sound comes out. Unable to bear his gaze any longer, I reach down and carefully close his eyelids with two fingers.

Mind racing, my brain struggles to understand what just transpired.

"Y-y-you…" The only one of the eight kneeling individuals left alive stammers out in disbelief, his face and clothes utterly drenched in blood. Not a single centimetre of his being is left unstained, as he remains kneeling in an insidiously expanding pool of blood.

It's the Pontifex.

His trembling gaze shifts erratically over the corpses of all the nobles that lay around him, red fluid still trickling from their truncated throats like spilled wine bottles.

"Ahhhh… ahhh… AHHHHHH!" A series of panicked screams escapes his lips as he clutches at his head, his face contorted in despair.

"W-why… w-we did what you asked! W-we apologized, and y-you accepted!" He sputters in a cracking voice, muffled by his own sobbing and retching, as the contents of his stomach empty out onto the floor, mixing with the blood to make a murky, brown concoction. He looks up at Zesshi with a petrified gaze, panting heavily, his mouth dripping with both blood and vomit.

Zesshi looks down at him with a condescending expression. Bending down so that they are now at eye level, she reaches out and grips the pontifex's chin, clamping his mouth shut and lifting his gaze to her own.

"It's simple. I'll never forgive you worms for what you did to me... But, if it's any consolation, I DO feel much better now!" She tells him in a bitter-sweet tone.

Having heard her callous response, the pontifex's eyes tremble, leaking tears at an even more rapid pace. The salty rivers travel down the length of his cheeks, dripping to the floor and creating ripples along the surface of the crimson ocean beneath him.

Zesshi rises to her feat with an apathetic expression.

"Now that I've had my fun, I suppose it's time... my liege, I was your puppet for far too long. I think it's only fair that I get a turn at pulling your strings, wouldn't you agree?"

-!

My eyes widen as Downfall of Castle and Country's golden serpent begins to glow, dousing the room in a blinding flash.

"Well… truthfully, it won't be me pulling your strings, exactly..." she pouts under her breath, puffing her cheeks out childishly.

As my mind races to interpret her words, the sound of panicked shouts and heavy footfalls echo in the distance, undoubtedly the royal guards as they finally realized something was amiss.

All I can do is sit here helplessly, my body refusing to move or intervene, as the golden serpent arcs through the air.

Finally, the light dies down, and the room is plunged once again in bleak darkness.

**POV Neia**

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"Do you really have to go? Why not spend the night here?" I offer hopefully, giving the small girl's hand a squeeze.

"I would like to stay and play with you more, Neia, but I must depart. Ainz-sama instructed me to return immediately after the battle was won- er, after I delivered the gift. That being said, I am already late. You wouldn't want me to keep Ainz-sama waiting, would you?" CZ responds to my plea in a robotic voice.

My heart sinks guiltily. As much as I'd love for CZ to spend the night here with me and catch up some more, I can't possibly inconvenience Ainz-sama for such a selfish, unnecessary reason.

"I… understand. Until next time then, Shizu-chan" I offer meakly, forcing a smile.

"Yes. Until next time, Neia chan" She bids farewell, reaching up to pat the top of my head before turning around to leave. I watch her small form recede down the outpost's stairwell with a bitter smile.

But, just as she sets foot on the trail leading back to the town of Mellevitch, she stops in her tracks.

"?"

I cock my head to the side curiously.

Without turning around, she begins to speak:

"By the way, Neia… I think you've gotten even better with that bow. I will… put in a good word for you. I'm sure Ainz-sama will be pleased with how well you've been representing him" She offers monotonously.

-!

A surge of pride wells up in my chest, and tears of joy threaten to spill out of my eyes. My bottom lip quivers emotionally.

Before I can even voice a response, CZ quickly dashes into the forest at breakneck speed, out of sight.

"T-thank you…" I mutter inaudibly to nobody.

"All hail Ainz-sama!" I shout as loud as I can, cupping my hands around my mouth towards the forest, hoping CZ will hear me.

"Captain… what are you shouting about all of a sudden?" An annoyed voice asks from behind me.

"Eep!" I gasp in surprise and whirl around, to see Elric dozily poking his head out of the living quarters.

"Well that was an adorable sound, Black" he notes with a grin, referring to me with my color title for added effect.

I feel my face burn up in embarrassment.

"I-I apologize for the disturbance…" I offer sheepishly, averting my gaze to the ground.

I had been so overcome with emotion, I completely forgot how late it was. I'm sure I woke up more people than just Elric.

"..."

Silence falls over the two of us, neither of us sure what to say next. A strange, awkward atmosphere envelops us... did my sincere response to his jeering take the wind out of his sails a bit?

"...Um, hey…" Elric is the first to break the silence in an uncertain tone.

"Would you…" he starts once more, but pauses again, biting his lower lip.

"...Elric?" I venture in a confused tone.

He shakes his head.

"Er… now that I'm awake… would you be interested in going out for a drink with me?" He asks quietly.

Now it's his turn to avert his eyes to the ground.

I cock my head to the side at his strange question.

And yet at the same time, a peculiar warmth surges through my chest, and before I know it, I'm smiling as I watch my commander scratch the back of his head.

With a surprising amount of difficulty, I find my voice:

"My… asking your captain out for a drink, how bold of you. A bit inappropriate as well, if I do say so myself" I chastise playfully, a wide grin forming on my face as I watch his head droop gloomily. Satisfied with his reaction, I quickly add: "but… maybe just this once, I'll accept your invitation"

His head snaps up, and he studies my face with wide eyes in disbelief.

I shift awkwardly from foot to foot. Why do I feel so squeamish under his gaze all of a sudden? It's just Elric…

Finally, deducing that I was in fact serious about accepting his offer, he flashes a bright smile. A tingle travels down the length of my spine after seeing his joyful expression.

"Great! Er…" He exclaims loudly before catching himself.

"Commander… what are you shouting about all of a sudden?" I ask curiously, repeating his words from before.

"Oh bite me..." he snorts with a smile, stepping outside of the cabin and walking up to me.

We beign to walk down the trail side by side, to the town of Mellevitch, where a quaint yet lively bar awaits us.

"Again, we really need to address your lack of respect towards superior officers" I reprimand jokingly.

"I give respect to those who I deem are worthy" he offers his typical response, and we both smile at each other.

...

Somewhere along the trail, at some point, his hand had slipped into mine, as we laughed and joked all the way through the forest.

When it happened, my heart had fluttered wildly. My surprise must have been written all over my face, because Elric then asked in a timid voice:

"Is… this okay?"

He began to loosen his grip on my hand: and without even thinking, before he managed to retract his hand fully, I squeezed it tighter, much to his surprise.

"No… it's fine" I responded with a smile. At that time, both our cheeks flared with heat and we struggled to make eye contact.

…

Finally, the bright town of Mellevitch and its twinkling lights appear on the horizon.

I shoot a glance down at our joined hands once again and blush profusely. Catching me do so, Elric laughs loudly.

"Jeez captain, you're blushing pretty hard there. Never held someone's hand before? Or maybe it's because of whose hand it is you're holding..?" He trails off suggestively with a smirk.

I turn away from him to hide my scarlet complexion.

"V-very funny. Don't get any ideas… and you better not try anything funny tonight" I warn Elric lightheartedly.

"I wouldn't dream of it" he quickly responds with a grin.

Hand in hand, we walk through the city gates, drawn to the sound of clinking mugs and hearty laughter.

.

.

.

**A/N After writing this chapter, I realized that this is the shortest chapter yet by a substantial margin. I thought about adding more, but I feel as though this chapter conveyed all that I wanted it to, and it ends on a light note, which I also happen to like for a change because so far I've typically ended my chapters on a cliff-hanger/tense moment. Sorry if it didn't seem like enough, next chapter should be back around my usual 5000 word range.**


	11. Chapter 11

**In The Flesh**

**A/N: Hello! To make up for my last chapter which was a bit on the short side, here's a nice big one to make up for it. Take it as a peace offering for my late updates recently.**

**Also... I know I said in the beginning chapters of this story that I would not be including any... ahem, mature, scenes...**

**well, let's just say I lied.**

**That being said, this chapter does contain an explicit scene - there will be a warning before it begins, and you are more than welcome to skip it (as you can probably guess, there won't be any important plot progression during that scene lol). It is a very short scene though, but just felt I should put a disclaimer here.**

**And no, the inclusion of this scene does not signify that every chapter from this point forth will contain explicit content, so don't get your hopes up XD.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter 11: Hell Hath no Fury Greater Than a Supreme One Scorned**

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Heok!" A constrained grunt escapes my lips as Cocytus' heavy iron club smashes into my side.

_Poomf!_

And so for the upteenth time today, I've been sent crashing into one of the 5th floor's many snowbanks.

Fissures snake along the ground, splintering the ice, and craters litter the ground around us, testaments to our fierce battle: some of which have already begun to fill up with the pure white snow steadily trickling down from the artificial sky.

Bracing myself against my own sword, I slowly rise to my feet and remove my jet-black helmet.

Face drenched with sweat and bangs plastered unevenly against my forehead, I greedily draw in one deep breath after another, enjoying the winter wind's prickling chill against my exposed skin, finally free from the suffocating helmet. My lungs feel as though they're on fire.

"You. Have. Improved. Your. Technique. With. The. Sword. Ainz-sama" Cocytus offers in a satisfied tone, taking advantage of the lull in our fierce training session to voice his opinion.

A biting rush of wind whistles by in a high pitch as it passes over us, as if to express its agreement with Cocytus.

I finally catch my breath, and raise my sword once again towards the teal colored insect guardian.

"Again" I mutter breathlessly.

"Hmm…Ainz-sama… You. Have. Made. Considerable. Progress. I. Think. That. We. Have. Sparred. Enough. For. The. Day" He suggests tentatively, clicking his mandibles anxiously.

On any other day, I would agree with him: we've been battling for well over an hour.

But not today.

Not with this troublesome knot tightening harrowingly in my chest.

Capturing Zesshi irrefutably confirmed that yet another country in this New World isn't harboring any players from Yggdrasil, as they surely would've jumped in to save her and Downfall of Castle and Country. After all, no competent Yggdrasil player would ever allow a world class item to fall into their enemy's hands like that without intervening.

Despite how well everything is lining up for Nazarick right now, I feel… empty, and frustrated. With each passing day, the fact that I may be the only player in this entire world seems more and more believable.

And that terrifies me.

Despite being surrounded by people who revere and adore me with all their hearts… I'm alone.

Despite the fact that I've regained my humanity… my heart aches inconsolably.

As the reality that I most likely will never return to Earth sinks in, the memory of living my days as Suzuki Satoru, a salaryman, becomes more and more distant.

As if it were all just a vague dream.

So many thoughts are spinning through my head, enough to make my vision blur should I dwell on them for a second too long.

But the most vexing thought which gnaws incessantly at the back of my mind is...

Who am I?

And so, in desperate need of finding an answer, my feet had moved with a mind of their own, and before I even realized what was happening, the ice of Cocytus' domain was already crunching under my feet.

I came here so that I could vent.

Lash out.

Clear my head.

And above all else, FEEL something that might reacquaint me with Suzuki Satoru.

But nothing has worked so far. The physical pain, the chill of the wind, the sweat on my skin, the blood dripping from my wounds.

I've even refrained from healing myself this entire time so that I could at least feel pain, because if nothing else, it reminds me of my newfound weakness, my vulnerability - in other words, my humanity.

But in the end, it fails to answer the most important question, that being 'who am I?'.

If anything, the throbbing pain of my open gashes and bluish bruises has only estranged me even further from the answer, because - and perhaps it's because the opinions of some of my more jaded subordinates are rubbing off on me, but… the very fact that I so easily relate the idea of pain and frailty to being human… well…

Is that all I see humans as now? As weak, pain-riddled, inferior beings?

Is that how I see Suzuki Satoru?

I clench my blade's hilt tightly with a trembling hand and narrow my gaze towards the insectoid warrior standing about ten metres away.

"Cocytus… who am I?" I blurt out in a hushed tone. My voice was so quiet, in fact, that I'm sure it only managed to reach Cocytus' ears with the help of the blustering wind.

Seemingly unfazed by my sudden question, he responds without missing a beat:

"You. Are. Ainz-sama. Supreme. Ruler. Of. The. Underground. Tomb. of. Nazarick"

I clench my fists harder.

Sensing my displeasure, Cocytus quickly offers: "You are the magnanimous Sorcerer King, ruler of the sorcerer kingdom"

"No…Cocytus, I asked WHO am I, not WHAT am I!" I reiterate in a venomous tone.

Cocytus' mandibles clack together loudly, letting out a guttural hum of confusion.

The wind blows powerfully over the icy tundra around us, kicking up waves of powdery snow to ripple around our feet.

**Who am I? **

A quiet voice echoes through my mind, feeding off my growing doubt.

"... Forgive. Me. Ainz-sama… But. I. Do. Not. Understand. The. Nature. Of. Your. Question." Cocytus admits in an apologetic tone.

_Snap!_

And from that seemingly innocuous, reasonable comment, something within me breaks.

My final strand of hope.

"... aha...ha…" a despondent chuckle leaks out from my mouth.

What was I thinking? What was I expecting him to say, exactly? I mean, what he said wasn't wrong… I am Ainz-sama.

But it's not what I wanted to knot in my chest tells me so.

**Who am I?**

So then what did I want to hear?

Even I don't know the answer.

So how could he?

I clench my jaw tightly.

I just need someone, anyone, to tell me, to guide me, to answer the question burning in my head!

**Who am I?**

My blood boils over, and before I can control myself, [perfect warrior] falters from the total disruption of my concentration. I bellow with rage:

"IT'S A SIMPLE QUESTION, COCYTUS, JUST ANSWER IT!"

_Kaboom!_

Hate infused mana begins seeping out of me uncontrollably, chaotically, bending and warping the very air around me as it gradually spreads outwards. Coctyus begins to visibly quiver at the sight of my trembling form, oozing with such palpable malice. He promptly drops to one knee with a panicked expression.

"Forgive. Me. Ainz-sama! Please. Punish. This. Foolish. One. Who. Has. Upset. You. So. Much. If. You. Would. Be. So. Kind. As. To. Tell. Me. How. I. Can. Make. Things. Right. Again. I. Would. Be. Eternally. Grateful!" He pleads desperately.

"STOP IT!" I shout, causing my tainted mana to flare, enveloping me in a pillar of smog.

**Who am I?!**

The wind howls shrilly, as though charged with electricity.

_BADOOM BADOOM BADOOM!_

My heart is beating furiously in my ears, overlapping with the cacophony of doubtful, scared, and frustrated voices in my head.

**WHO AM I?!**

Louder, and louder, and louder, and louder-!

"I DON'T KNOW!" I raise my head towards the sky and shout at the top of my lungs.

No sooner had my admission to the heavens escaped my throat than I lost what little bit of self-control I still had left.

My own voice reverberates through the wide open expanse, eventually echoing back to my own ears as if to taunt me, encouraging me to let it all out.

And so I do.

Holding nothing back, I allow every negative emotion I've kept bottled up since coming to this new world to bubble up from the deepest, most ignored recesses of my mind and soul.

"JUST STOP APOLOGIZING, ALL THE TIME, AND TREATING ME LIKE I'M SOME ABSOLUTE MONARCH! I'M JUST A SALARYMAN, GOD DAMMIT!" I scream out, bitter tears welling up in the corners of my eyes.

I'm just a lowly salaryman…

right?!

And like a dam that finally burst, the mana that had been creeping out of me at a sluggish pace suddenly surges out like a tidal wave in all directions, manifesting into a cruel storm.

Violet colored winds whirl all around me, mixing with the opaque smog and swirling into the sky to blot out the sun, plunging the entire floor in an impregnable darkness.

The storm grows and grows and grows, leaving me, wailing, at its epicenter.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screech while clutching at my head, as the volatile winds scream deafeningly all around me.

The maelstrom of mana has long since engulfed Cocytus, leaving him to gawk, wide eyed and petrified, within the eye of the storm.

Not knowing what else to do, I petulantly swing my leg, decimating a nearby pile of snow.

"Fuck!"

Over, and over, and over, I lash out at the pristine white mounds, spewing more and more snow into the air to mix with my abhorrent mana, generating a veritable blizzard.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" I curse with each swing of my leg, fueling the unnatural disaster that I've created with streaks of white.

All Cocytus can do is watch on in horror at my unbridled rage, the likes of which he's never seen.

Finally, after having kicked up all the snow in my vicinity, my leg stops moving.

"Huff… huff.. Huff…" I pant in exasperation, collapsing to the ground a moment later from both physical and mental exhaustion.

The ravaging storm begins to dwindle in power, shrinking more and more with each deep breath I take.

On top of my emotions, I had unleashed over half my mana pool.

The snow that had been whipping around begins to gently descend back to the ground.

…

An eerie silence envelops the now serene environment - it appears as though my tantrum had never even occurred.

After unleashing all my hate, my senses return to me.

And with them, shame, embarrassment, and self-loathing, as my eyes travel towards the ever-kneeling floor guardian.

A wave of guilt crashes into me: what have I done? Cocytus had done nothing wrong, he didn't deserve to be yelled at or exposed to such an unbecoming display.

All he was doing was fulfilling my selfish request, as always.

What is wrong with me?

He's waiting for me to address him, undoubtedly fearing that he may incur my wrath once more should he open his mouth first.

Overwhelmed with shame, I struggle to find my voice.

"Coctyus… I… I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. My outburst was not your fault… please forgive me. I'm… not feeling well" I manage to choke out.

"But -!" Cocytus begins in a concerned tone, lifting his head up: but I quickly turn my back to him before meeting his gaze.

Doubting my ability to hold back the tears any longer, I quickly cast a spell:

"[Gate]!"

And step through the swirling vortex without a moment's delay.

...

The wind howls as if lamenting my absence.

For many minutes after my departure, a lone guardian remain kneeling on the icy ground in complete silence, self deprecatingly contemplating every mistake he's ever made, questioning his self worth, and, above all else, desperately wracking his brain to come up with a way to please his ill-tempered lord.

**POV Aura**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Ah-!" I suddenly gasp out in surprise, instinctively wrapping my arms around myself to hug my chest tightly as a sudden powerful chill races down my back.

I glance down in astonishment at my arm, suddenly covered in goosebumps.

What was that..? That magical energy spike just now… did that come from Cocytus' floor?

It felt like Ainz-sama… but it was so…

Hateful.

A hate so intense it can't even be described.

I've never felt anything like it before.

Was that really Ainz-sama?

I feel as though my heart was encased in ice, stabbed, and shattered to pieces.

I bring a hand to my chest, trying to steady my breath.

-!

Silent tears suddenly begin leaking out of my unblinking eyes.

I hold my hands together to stop them from shaking.

Mare, curled up on the living room couch of our treehouse next to me, had been in the midst of a nap when I gasped out in shock.

In the corner of my vision, I see him dozily lift his head and squint at me.

"Sis… a-are you okay? What's wrong, why are you shaking?" He asks in a worried tone, rubbing his eyes.

I can hardly bring myself to turn my head.

"M-mare… Ainz-sama is upset. Very, very upset" I mumble through quivering lips.

Mare's eyes widen in shock.

And then his face contorts painfully as he finally tunes into the overwhelming wrath emanating from the fifth floor.

"W-what's h-happening?" He asks in an equally trembling voice.

"I don't know, Mare, but Ainz-sama… is suffering right now" I reply with a shiver.

"I-i-is there anything we can do?"

"I… don't know"

_Ker-crack!_

The fireplace suddenly emits its own sob, and I trace the trajectory of a smouldering tear as it arcs out from the fire.

I watch it land, flicker dully for a moment, before fading to nothingness.

"Sis, I-I'm scared" Mare cries out, tears rolling down his cheeks like rivers.

He grips my hand and squeezes it tight.

I squeeze back.

We sit like that for what feels like an eternity, until finally, the malice disappears.

And then, like children who were too terrified to move while their father yelled at them before finally leaving the room, we break down, holding each other tightly and sobbing into each other's embrace.

.

.

.

The twins weren't the only ones experiencing a visceral reaction.

In fact, all of Nazarick was weeping inconsolably, as Ainz's uninhibited bitterness inundated every floor.

Albedo's wings furled and unfurled uneasily, her blood boiling - the only thing keeping her from rushing to Ainz's side immediately were her instincts, recoiling from the absolute anguish exploding out from above her head, that told her that her master's wrath could not be quelled, and he would prefer to be alone.

At the same time, Shalltear pulled at her hair angrily and wailed until her throat went hoarse. The feeling in her gut, similar to Albedo's, told her she could do nothing, and she was quickly consumed by a feeling of uncertain helplessness, inciting her to lash out at one of her nearby vampire bride slaves, pulverizing her into a nearby wall.

The pleiades, all huddled together in their living quarters, exchanged uneasy expressions as burning tears stained their beautiful visages.

Even Sebas, all the way in E-rantel, felt a sudden tug at the nape of his neck and looked up from the book he was reading, narrowing his eyes in Nazarick's direction.

Even the least intelligent of the basic monsters and summons that resided on each floor responded strongly to the Supreme one's rancor - particularly his own summons. They were driven mad: the weaker ones' minds could not handle the surge of emotion that was transmitted through the telepathic bond between master and summon. Overwhelmed, they crumpled to the floor and began writing about hysterically, clutching at their heads. The more powerful ones, however, became intoxicated by the primal rage forced upon them, and in a determined frenzy to vent their master's rage, they began to swing about wildly at anything within their vicinity, unable to discern friend from foe.

Ainz's unabating rage engulfed the tomb, plunging all of its denizens into the deepest pits of despair.

Many eternities later: silence finally came with the setting of the sun, and a restless night descended upon the tomb.

Try as they might, nobody could possibly sleep on such a wretched night.

Five figures, teetering precariously on the edge of madness, desperately wanted to make things right: and so, as if it were preordained, all five of them anxiously tip-toed their way to the 7th floor, in hopes that Nazarick's most cunning strategist - who was only just returning home and was unaware of the situation - would be able to shed some light on the bleak darkness that antagonized their hearts.

After all, if anyone could understand the Supreme One's thoughts, it would be him.

**POV Demiurge**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Ah…"

I let out a satisfied sigh as I wander down a hallway of the 7th floor, my tail swishing happily behind me with each step as I draw nearer to my chamber.

Having finally completed all my assigned tasks for the day, I can return to my den and indulge my favorite pastime.

Coming up with new methods and plans that could benefit Nazrick, of course.

There is nothing I take greater pleasure in - well, other than being graced by the presence of Ainz-sama, of course.

I enter my room, and quickly seat myself at my desk, upon which lay numerous sheets of paper - scribbled down plans, notes, diagrams, and maps litter the desk's dark surface.

Next to me is a large hole in the floor with a ceaseless flame, into which I toss unsatisfactory plans.

Ideas that Ainz-sama would certainly scoff at and scorn me for my stupidity.

While I thoroughly enjoy devising plans for Nazarick… it is a daunting task.

And, perhaps, even a bit naively arrogant..

To think that I could POSSIBLY add anything meaningful to Ainz-sama's plans, his infallible narrative, conceived by his perfect mind with impeccable foresight, able to account for every variable and calculate every outcome imaginable!

Everyone, even us guardians, have been dancing in the palms of his hands since the moment we appeared in this world.

I shiver euphorically in admiration of my master's intellect.

No, a being as lowly and insignificant as myself could never even hold a candle to his unfathomable wisdom.

But nevertheless, I must serve him with every ounce of my being!

Having fortified my resolve and deepened my reverence, I quickly pick up a quill and eye an empty sheet of paper hungrily, determined to serve my lord.

Just as the tip of my feathered pen touches down on the surface -

Ta-ting!

A familiar ring, followed by a somber tone:

"[Demiurge. I. Apologize. For. Disturbing. You. So. Shortly. After. Your. Return… But. I. Do. Not. Know. What. To. Do]" A message echos in my mind, relaying Cocytus' uncertain voice.

My brows furrow ever so slightly, and I push my glasses further up the bridge of my nose in exasperation.

Sigh. While a part of me relishes in the fact that Cocytus finds me so dependable, I wish he would rely on me a bit less. It seems that whenever he runs into a problem, he immediately turns to me for a solution.

While I understand that he seeks me out in order to ensure that he does not fail Ainz-sama, which I respect and appreciate, he needs to start thinking for himself and improve his problem-solving abilities.

It is what Ainz-sama wants for him.

That being said, however, I can't exactly refuse to help him if it is a matter of utmost importance, lest he may actually make an error and displease our lord: an absolutely unforgivable offense.

"[Is it urgent?]" I ask.

"[.. Yes. I. Fear. I. Have. Made. A. Grave. Mistake]" He answers back solemnly.

I shift in my seat anxiously.

"[What happened?]" I prod in a stern voice, praying that his mistake can be remedied before it troubles Ainz.

"[I. Do. Not. Know… But. It. Greatly. Upset. Ainz-sama]" he confesses gravely.

My eyes widen.

_Snap!_

The quill I had been holding snaps in my hand.

"[Cocytus..!]" I begin to reprimand him harshly before holding back my tongue.

Stay calm, Demiurge. Stay rational.

I take a deep breath. Whatever he did, I'm sure he and I can fix it.

And if we can't, and the damage done is irreparable… then I will personally see to it that Cocytus is punished accordingly.

"[Cocytus… come to my floor in fifteen minutes and we will discuss whatever happened in greater detail]" I manage to mutter out, barely holding back my anger.

"[...Hmm… About. That. Demiurge...]" He trails off sheepishly

"[What is it?]"

Suddenly a knock on my door.

?

"Come in" I call out.

The door creaks open slowly, and a shadow demon rushes into the room, quickly seeking asylum within my shadow.

"Lord Demiurge-sssan… Cocytus and the other floor guardians are currently traversing lava lake towards your chamber as we sssspeak. They ssssaid it was urgent"

-!

All of the floor guardians were involved in this incident?! What in the world happened while I was away?

I press a finger to my temple once again while devoting every ounce of my willpower to contain my swelling panic:

"[...Well, it seems you're already here. See you soon]" I seethe, perhaps a bit more hostilely than I would've liked.

"[... Thank. You. For. Your. Understanding. Demiurge]"

_[Message ended]_

I lean back in my seat, blood boiling, and tail swishing sporadically behind me.

We guardians as a whole have made too many grave mistakes since coming to this world.

Shalltear foolishly got herself brainwashed and attacked Ainz-sama.

Sebas harbored a human without permission, drawing the attention of some unruly worms, and compromising his mission. And then, when Ainz-sama, being the benevolent ruler that he is, forgave his transgression, even going so far as to promise the girl's protection under his name, Sebas had the gall to then allow her to be kidnapped!

Cocytus, although he managed to redeem himself somewhat in the end, still failed to subjugate the lizardmen with the army Ainz had appointed him. While that had been the expected result from the start and Ainz was not too displeased, the fact still remains that he tarnished Nazarick's reputation with a defeat.

As more and more failures, including my own shortcomings, pop into my mind, a mind-numbingly terrifying realization strikes me.

We've failed him too many times!

And if the other guardians' late-night convention is of any indication, then this is a dire situation.

What if he grows tired of us and our worthlessness, and decides to leave us like all the other supreme beings did?

What would we do then?

I cold chill runs down my spine at the thought of living in a world without Ainz.

No… if such a reality came to be, and I could no longer pledge myself to a worthy supreme being, I would surely end my life.

The existence of us guardians would have no meaning without a supreme one.

I feel as though we're just an error or two away from being abandoned! Even Ainz-sama's patience must have a limit.

Tapping my foot anxiously on the ground, I sense the guardians - and one other - getting closer and closer.

…

"I… see…are you sure that is all?" I ask dubiously after Cocytus finishes recounting what had happened on the fifth floor..

"No way, Cocytus! You're telling us Ainz-sama got all riled up from just that?!" Aura exclaims, pointing towards the insect guardian accusingly.

"Cocytus… no matter how grave an error you made, don't you think it's a bit childish to withhold information to preserve your pride? Ainz-sama's well-being takes precedence!" Albedo points out in a harsh tone, narrowing her eyes.

"I. Have. Told. You. Everything. That. Occurred. I. Swear. On. My. Life" he assures in a crestfallen tone.

"If you're lying..."Shalltear trails off threateningly with a murderous glint in her rubellite eyes..

Cocytus simply hangs his head in silence, emitting a lethargic blast of cold air.

A hostile tension has filled the air as Aura, Shalltear, and Albedo level contemptuous glares towards the 5th floor's guardian, readily expressing their disbelief.

Luckily, there are those among us who are not so quick to take up their pitchforks and burning torches.

"U-um-!" A meek voice suddenly breaks the tension.

All eyes fall on the quiet elf sitting on the corner of my bed. He recoils from our intense gazees, but manages to continue nonetheless:

"U-um… for what it's worth, I-I believe you Cocytus…"

I arch an eyebrow.

"Well if you think that he's being honest, then would you care to explain what about his interaction with Ainz-sama could have displeased the supreme one to such an extent?" I question.

Although I had not been here when it happened, just hearing the other guardians describe the hopeless sensation they all experienced gave me chills.

"A-ah…" Mare stutters lamely as the spotlight is shone on him once again:

"I… I don't know… but I just don't think Cocytus is being dishonest…" he admits.

"Hmmm…" I hum dramatically, squinting my eyes at the guardian in question.

No matter how I look at him... there's no doubt about it...

"Truth be told… I knew from the very beginning that Cocytus was telling the truth" I confess.

A part of me had been hoping that Cocytus was omitting some pertinent information to save face, because - and I hate to admit it - at this moment I am unable to discern Cocytus' error. Well, obviously it was because he had failed to answer Ainz-sama's question correctly but…

I myself would've offered a response very similar to Cocytus'.

'Who am I?'

What a peculiar question.

The only other answer I can think of that may have been able to assuage Ainz would've been 'You are Momonga, Leader of Ainz-Ooal Gown'

… Or something like that, perhaps? But no, I feel it would've evoked the same response...

Even if THAT were the correct response… why would Ainz-sama ask it in the first place? And why had he become so angry?

Once again… I cannot hope to understand the complexities of my master's multifarious brain.

And what is a 'salaryman'?

"So then… does anyone have ANY ideas how to appease Ainz-sama?" Albedo tosses out, gazing hopefully around the room.

"..."

Undoubtedly, everyone's brain is in overdrive right now trying to come up with something, anything.

But until we find the root of the problem, it'll be almost impossible to find a resolution.

"Um… pardon me, if it's a dumb question, but… what exactly is a 'salaryman'?" a voice rings out from the corner of the room, startling me from my thoughts..

Everyone's heads turn towards the speaker, whose presence I had momentarily forgot.

Her wolf ears twitch nervously under our scrutinizing glare.

"T-the pleiades are just as concerned for Ainz-sama's well being as all of you…" Lupusregina explains defensively.

"Fair enough…" I sigh dismissively: "and to answer your question… I do not know what a salaryman is" I admit through gritted teeth.

After disappointing Ainz-sama, not knowing something is the thing that infuriates me the most.

"Perhaps it's a race? Like, a rare species of monster or something?" Aura offers.

"I have never heard of such a thing-arinsu…" Shalltear says, tapping her chin daintily with an index finger.

"No no…" Albedo rebukes with a dismissive wave of her hand: "According to Cocytus, Ainz-sama had said 'I'm just a salaryman, god dammit' … since Ainz called himself a 'salaryman', it's safe to say that it is not a species of monster"

"Oh, right… sorry" Aura apologizes sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

"P-perhaps 'salary man' is a class of some sort..?" Mare suggests.

Albedo and I shake our heads in unison.

No such class exists, of that I am certain.

"Chibi-elf, why would Ainz-sama get so mad about a 'hidden class' anyway, which has nothing to do with what he was doing with Cocytus? Use your brain before you speak, moron" Shalltear teases.  
"Grrk!" Aura grunts on behalf of her twin: "Oi, Shallty, if you're so smart, why don't you tell us what 'salary man' is then?!" She shrieks angrily.

"Urk! M-maybe 'Salary Man' is someone's name! Someone that Ainz hates!"

"..."

"That's the dumbest idea yet, you anvil-chested loli!" Aura quips.

"Why you..! It could be the truth, you never kn-!"

"Ahem…" I clear my throat before things escalate any further: " forgive me, Shalltear, but we will have to discount your… creative idea" I explain.

It's true that her idea is even lamer than Aura's, though I dare not say it… it isn't worth the trouble.

"Hmmph!" The vampire pouts as Aura sticks her tongue out at her.

"But then what could it mean..?" I muse aloud, more for my own sake than anyone else's.

"Ah, I might have an idea you guys!" Lupusregina suddenly cries out, leaping up from her chair and into the centre of our congregation with a wide grin.

I arch an eyebrow.

"Well after such a grandiose declaration, it better be a good one" Shalltear snorts.

Unfazed by Shalltear's sarcasm, the battle maid continues:

"Well, do you think maybe a 'salaryman' is related to Ainz-sama's past? Y'know, before he was the Overlord of Nazarick?"

I tilt my head to the side curiously.

"Forgive. Me… But I. Do. Not. Follow" Cocytus admits on behalf of all the guardians.

Five earnest gazes bore into the wolf from all sides, and she shrinks briefly under the pressure.

"Er… well you know, how like… I remember overhearing a discussion between some of the supreme ones ...and Pereroncino-sama said Bukubukuchagama-sama was… um… what was it called again? Where she imbued magic into inanimate things using her voice, giving them life?" She explains disjointedly.

But it's enough for my mind to follow.

"I believe the term was… 'Voice Actress', correct?" I suggest.

"Yeah, that!" Lupusregina exclaims boisterously, her face alight with bubbling excitement.

"So you mean to say that... A 'salaryman' is what Ainz-sama was, before we were created?" Albedo clarifies.

"Uh… well that makes the most sense to me!" The wolf girl beams proudly.

"A salaryman… it must be a title which denotes a special figure of authority!" Albedo suggests.

"Well duh! We're talking about Ainz-sama! There's no way - at any point in time - that he'd ever not be at the pinnacle of power and rulership!" Shalltear beams, as though she were boasting about her husband.

Albedo tosses her a dirty look, but everyone else is nodding in agreement.

"Ainz-sama's past…" Aura trails off dreamily in an almost bewildered tone.

A moment of silence descends upon the room as everyone tries to envision the potential of a 'salaryman'.

It goes without saying, that the prestige of a 'salaryman' must far exceed anything we're imagining in this moment

"Hmmm…" everyone hums in unison, raising our heads to the ceiling in deep thought.

Learning about the past lives of the supreme ones - long before the founding of the Underground Tomb of Nazarick - is something all guardians have strived to do in the past: any bit of personal information we can glean is considered to be coveted knowledge.

Although, it was often the pleiades who first overheard snippets of information.

In that regards, I envy them.

Because while the rest of us guardians were defending the upper floors, the battle maids worked closely around the throne room area, and so had more opportunities to be in earshot of our creators' conversations.

Ainz-sama's past, in particular, is something just about everyone in Nazarick is keen on discovering - to better understand our sole remaining master, leader of all the supreme beings…

A smile blossoms on my lips at the prospect.

Putting that aside for now...

"Ahem" I clear my throat, drawing everyone back to reality.

"It seems the conversation has derailed a bit. While Lupusregina-san contributed some valuable information … currently, we have no means of deciphering what exactly a 'salaryman' is. So, rather than waste our time with fruitless conjectures, I propose we focus our attention on other potential avenues... "

"Agreed"

"Ah, fine"

"Very. Well"

…

Finally, nearly two hours later, upon noticing that both the dark elf guardians had succumbed to their exhaustion and curled up on my bed, we decided to adjourn the meeting.

Ultimately, we weren't able to come up with a concrete plan, nor were we successful in figuring out the root of Ainz-sama's anguish.

However, if nothing else, our discussion gave everyone some invaluable food for thought, and the expressions of all the guardians are much less constipated than they were earlier.

After bidding farewell, everyone began to take their leave from my chamber.

Cocytus carefully scoops up the sleeping dark elf children in his arms and silently exits my room after turning around at the entrance and offering a respectful bow.

The moment the crowd around me thins, my mind dives into full concentration.

'Who am I?' the question, spoken in Ainz-sama's voice as I imagine it to sound, echoes through my mind like a broken record.

There must be some deeper meaning that I'm missing! A trick question, perhaps, or an allusion to a future scheme..?

A million possible explanations spring to mind, but none of them make sense: none of them can justify the depths of my lord's anger!

"..."

This is bad.

A subordinate incapable of understanding his master's will is an utter failure.

What can be done about this..?

Worst of all, I haven't the faintest idea of how to go about gathering information, seeing as how Ainz is the only possible source…

I feel as though a simple apology, no matter how genuine, would only incense him further… it would be a blatant expression of ignorance on our parts!

No, we must subtly acquire information on our own, without using Ainz's benevolence as a crutch.

Because if one leans too heavily upon a crutch, no matter how sturdy, it will eventually break.

That cannot happen! I won't let it!

Finally, the last person to get up and leave is Lupusregina. Lost in thought, my absentminded gaze drifts lazily over Lupusregina's swaying maid uniform: and an idea pops into my head.

"Wait, Lupusregina!" I call out just before she leaves my line of sight.

She pokes her head through the door frame.

"Yes, Demiurge-san?"

"How free is your schedule tomorrow? Is there anything you absolutely have to accomplish?"

"Uh… nope, I mean, I was planning to visit E-rantel as I usually do, but… nothing urgent, why?"

"Excellent. In that case, I would like for you to gather some information… namely, if you could find out what a 'salaryman' is…" I smile to myself and push up on the bridge of my glasses.

Lupusregina responds with a dry, nervous chuckle.

Forgive me, Ainz-sama… this may be a bit underhanded, but if I'm to understand your reasons this time, such a tactic must be employed.

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Huff…" I exhale regretfully as I lay on my bed, looking up at the ceiling in contemplation.

I can't believe I lost my temper like that!

The only silver lining to this whole situation is that my little outburst was only in front of Cocytus, unwitnessed by any other guardians.

If I had displayed such emotion in front of someone like Demiurge or Albedo, I feel like things would definitely escalate quickly.

And if that were to happen… well, I don't even want to think about it.

Thinking pragmatically, all I have to do is apologize to Cocytus, offer a somewhat believable explanation and voila! Everything should be back to normal.

"..."

Ahhh who am I kidding, as if things would ever work out that easily!

I'm screwed! There's no way I can recover from showing off such emotional instability! It was so visceral, I'm sure, that Cocytus will most likely seek advice… or therapy.

And if history repeats itself, it's pretty obvious who he'll consult first.

I feel my face grow pale at the thought of the well tailored demon getting involved, trying to decipher the meaning behind my fractious outburst.

Anyone but him!

'Theres no deeper meaning to it Demiurge, I swear, I'm not displeased with anyone's performance! I'm just a big, doofy, confused baby!' I scream internally, hoping that Demiurge will somehow hear my plea.

After thrashing about in my sheets and cringing at my own antics for several minutes, I decided that it would likely be best to close the curtains on today as soon as possible.

Today's problems will still be here tomorrow, and they can be solved by tomorrow's me!

After that reassuring - albeit unhealthy - thought passes through my head, I decide to go to bed.

There's nothing I can do about anything right now.

I quickly dim the magic-powered lamps in my room and plop my head down on my pillow.

Tomorrow is a new day…

…

"...998 manglyan sheep, 999 manglyan sheep, 1000 manglyan sheep...GRAH!" I yelp angrily while chucking my pillow across the room

I can't sleep at all, my mind is still in overdrive! Not even counting sheep worked!

I'm much too wound up right now. Dreading the possibility of a sleepless night, I desperately wrack my brain for things that could help me fall asleep.

Unfortunately, as a level 100 player, I have high immunity to most basic status effects, so casting sleep on myself wouldn't be very effective… even if I purposely allowed myself to succumb, I would be asleep for at most a minute, so unless I want to repeatedly cast it a bajillion times tonight and set a new world record for 'most restless sleep ever', I've got to think of something else.

What did I used to do during stressful times back on Earth?

I comb through my memories.

Well… during times like that, I usually…

-!

That's it!

I'll just do what every guy does when they're alone and can't get to sleep!

Eagerly, I get up from my bed and disrobe.

I glance down at my most recently acquired appendage, and feel my face redden.

I think I spent too much time as a skeleton: just thinking about touching myself feels… weird, and awkward.

**(I guess I'll plug the 'M' rating here XD. Feel free to skip ahead to the next POV if uninterested)**

Tentatively, I reach down and wrap my hand around its base.

Pushing back the gnawing sense of depravity, I take a deep breath.

Get it together Ainz, you need to have this release! Besides, it's a perfectly natural, healthy thing to do… and back on earth, I rarely ever went more than two days without 'choking the chicken', as my dad used to so eloquently put it.

I tighten my grip a bit.

There is nothing wrong, perverted, or gross about this in any w-

"Ahh!" I gasp in surprise as an ecstatic jolt courses through my body from the point of contact.

An intense blush sets my cheeks on fire a moment later as the pitiful sound I just made registers in my mind.

I haven't even started stroking, and I already moaned like that! From my own touch!

That's just pathetic, even for a virgin like me!

Slowly, I move my hand further up, all the way to the base of the head, pursing my lips to prevent any more humiliating noises from escaping.

Gradually picking up the pace, my mind tingles numbly, clouded with that familiar shroud of ecstasy.

Normally I'd have my laptop or a magazine nearby to… erm, help. But no such things exist here, so I have to rely on the ol' memory banks for material.

The first images my mind conjures up are those of Albedo, which makes sense seeing as how I've just recently seen her naked in the bathhouse the other day.

And obviously such a sight had burned itself in my memory, perhaps a bit more vividly than I'd care to admit.

Her swaying hips, her bouncing chest, glistening wet. her pale skin tinged slightly pink from the steam.

The feel of her chest pressed against me-

-!

I stop my hand at the last possible second, as my instincts inform me that I was about to hit the 'point of no return'.

I pause for a few seconds, allowing myself time to recover, before resuming: this time, images of Lupusregina flood my mind.

That brief moment when she was transforming from her werewolf form back into her maid outfit, which allowed me to see her naked, kneeling before me…

It was more than enough inspiration for my mind to think of all sorts of explicit scenes.

Uwahhh… a guy's mind is a terrifying, depraved thing! A single glimpse is all we need to then envision our wildest fantasies.

Thank God!

I close my eyes and resume my dealings with the one eyed monster, as a scene plays out in my brain.

...

Lupusregina is standing in my doorway, wearing nothing but thin black stockings that travel up to the middle of her thighs. They cling tightly to her skin, accentuating the muscularity of her toned legs.

I can't help but sit up and gawk at her voluptuous form.

She struts towards me, swaying her wide hips. Her lips form a wry smile, and she narrows her golden eyes seductively.

Her typical braids are undone, allowing her tousled red hair to flow down, frame her gorgeous face, and cascade wildly over her slender shoulders.

Suddenly, she wraps both arms around my neck, and a moment later, her soft, wheat colored body presses up against me. I blush as her chest presses into my own and I feel her erect nipples poke into me.

"Ainz...sama" Lupusregina mutters quietly before leaning in and nibbling on my neck, intermittently planting sloppy kisses between bites. Her warm breath tickles my skin and I shiver.

Suddenly, planting both hands against my chest, she gently pushes me down against the bed.

Before I can close my gaping jaw, she quickly mounts me, straddling me between her legs.

"Ainz...sama!" She moans out softly, biting her lower lip as she begins to gyrate her hips, grinding into my groin.

A burning heat surges through my body, and a moment later, my flagpole rises as high as possible, prodding her entrance.

A look of surprise crosses her face, but only for a moment, before her lips quickly curl into a devilish grin.

Slowly, grabbing hold of my shaft with a firm grip, she lowers herself down steadily...

"Ah..!" We both gasp in unison as I slip inside of her.

It's so tight!

"Mmmmm! S-so… big" she moans out, before beginning to bounce on top of me, a wolf-like grin splitting her flushed face.

Faster, faster, and faster-!

The sound of our bare, sweat-slicked bodies slamming into each other echoes throughout the room.

"Ah, Ah, mmmmm-!" she whimpers happily each time she slams down, making every penetration deeper and harder than the last.

Instinctively, I grab both her hips, wrapping my fingers around to dig firmly into her plump, firm ass - and then I buck my hips upwards right as she slams down.

"ohhhhh!" She squeaks in surprise, and stops bouncing as her expression twists deliriously.

But I keep going: gripping her hips tightly, I thrust upwards over and over, mercilessly, bucking her now almost-limp body as she drowns in pleasure.

"Ahhhhh! Yes, right there! right there right there right there, Aiiiiiiinz-samaaaa!" She wails, tongue lolling out of her mouth as her eyes roll back into her head.

At the same time, I feel her clench tighter around my member and-

-!

**(End of explicit content)**

My eyes shoot open as a white hot flash of bliss shoots through my mind, interrupting my reverie.

"Ah-!" I gasp out as I explode, sullying the sheets around me.

I quickly collapse on my back, mind dumb, and stare up at the cieling, panting heavily.

Mere moments later, that familiar sense of fatigue overwhelms me as I crash from my high.

My eyes suddenly feel like they weigh a million pounds - the only thing keeping me from passing out right now, is a classic wave of post-nut clarity.

Muttering a half-hearted apology to Lupusregina's creator, I promptly give into my heavy lidded eyes and lose consciousness, slipping into the deepest sleep I've had since coming to the New World.

**POV Enri**

**.**

**.**

**.**

I awaken to the sound of birds chirping just outside my windowsill.

I yawn tiredly and stretch my arms before taking a deep breath.

I grimace at the pungent stench of alchemy that has pervaded the room since Nfirea had stumbled into bed very late last night, obviously having neglected to wash up - again.

It's a bad habit of his I have yet to beat out of him.

Even now, I can clearly see a smudged purple stain on the left cheek of his sleeping visage, left behind by some sort of alchemical powder or resin.

I shake my head disapprovingly, my cheeks puffing out as I hold my breath.

He's hopeless - but that's why I love him.

Desperate for some fresh air, I clamor out from under the sheets and race to the window, flinging it open as quickly as possible. I stick my head out and fill my screaming lungs, a wide grin splitting my face as my senses become quickly overwhelmed by the bustling outside world.

The cobblestone streets below are already swarming with people of all races, laughing and talking as they walk.

The rhythmic clicking of two horses' hooves tapping against stone catch my attention, and my eyes are quickly drawn to the comically full cart they're pulling: even from up here, I can hear the cart's large wooden wheels creaking in protest under the sheer weight of all the overstuffed burlaps sacs and wooden crates piled on top of each other. All it would take is one small bump, and the mountain of merchandise would surely topple off.

Shouts can be heard as merchants lining the streets begin to lay out their resplendent wares and call out to prospective passersby, and the delicious smell of freshly grilled food wafts up into my nose as food shacks and stores open their doors one by one.

Children are laughing and squealing giddily, racing through the streets and nimbly weaving through the sea of adults while playing games of tag.

And it isn't just the commercial and residential side of town thats coming to life either - over in the west, the industrial district is buzzing with activity as well: I can see thick billows of grey smoke pouring out from numerous wide chimney, belonging to our newly constructed forges and factories.

The faint ringing of metal against metal echoing through the streets can be traced back to these very same chimneys as well.

The lone building among this cluster whose chimney is not yet spewing out the byproducts of labour is of course the alchemy lab, since Nfi isn't even awake yet… but by midday, one could usually expect to see a particularly thick smog of peculiarly colored smoke - usually either red, purple, blue, or green - billow out from its chimney, even larger than the others.

It's amazing how this city has advanced in less than six lunar cycles… it went from a small, quaint little village to a fully fledged city in record time.

It would be ambitious to say it's gotten as big as the capital but… it sure feels that way some days to a village girl like me.

And to think, I'm the head chief!

Of all this!

…

I brace myself against the windowsill as my stomach flips queasily from that overwhelming thought.

I look up at the sun, already high in the sky.

Wait, it's almost midday already?! How did I sleep so much?!

And hey, wait a minute… wasn't Mrs. Lupusregina supposed to have come by today?

Weird. I wonder what she's up to today…

"Mrs. Enri-sama!" A brutish voice calls out from below me.

I poke my head further out the window and look down at the goblin waving his meat arms through the air.

A smile blossoms on my face.

"Jugem-san, good morn-"

But suddenly my voice catches as I take note of his uncharacteristically serious expression.

"What's wrong Jugem?" I call down in a worried tone.

"Mrs Enri! An army hailing from the Baharuth Empire just appeared on the horizon! They sent an envoy who just reached our gates… I ran here as fast as I could! Emperor Jircniv wishes to speak with you!"

"...Eh?"


	12. Chapter 12

**In The Flesh**

**A/N: I'll be frank.**

**The first two weeks of university have really bent me over and had their way with me.**

**As I've struggled to reconcile my summer break sleep schedule with my early morning wake ups, finding the time and willpower to write has been exceedingly difficult.**

**But I'm sort of getting used to it again: that feeling of being perpetually tired and hating life that I like to think all students experience at the start of a new school year, that never goes away until summer rolls around again but you just gradually learn to cope with it until it just becomes your natural state of being and eventually you don't even realize you're tired or miserable all the time anymore.**

… **Oh, is it just me that feels this way? Well then…**

**Enjoy the chapter XD.**

**Chapter 12**

"**A Great Way to Start the Day" **

Early morning.

The sun has just begun peeking over the rolling hills of moss and mud surrounding the underground tomb of Nazarick.

The grass is slicked with a copious amount of dew, causing each evergreen blade to scintillate wetly.

A chilly fog, spurred on by a crisp-cool breeze, has rolled in from the north to blanket the countryside in a ghostly white: it lingers ethereally over bodies of stagnant water, and seeps pervasively into the many valleys that snake through the land, giving them the impression of being bottomless seas of cloud or murky portals to another dimension.

The world is quiescent - and perhaps a bit unsettling.

For you see, the New World's season is changing to what could be considered the equivalent of Earth's 'Autumn'. The forests are eerily quiet.

It's a time of year too early for most creatures to hibernate or migrate, and yet insects have become scarce. While you can no longer expect the chirping of cicadas or crickets as you travel through a field or down a wooded path, you can still count on the birds to sing their jubilant choruses from their perches atop leaf-shedding trees, hidden behind rapidly thinning veils of tawny foliage.

Of course, many monsters still remain at large - but they never offer as consistent a symphony as the more mundane woodland critters.

Putting nature aside, humans and demi-humans alike in every town and city have already set to work, diligently tending to the fields of their final harvest and preparing necessary defensive precautions - because as the bite of winter insidiously depletes nature's supply of food and water, more and more desperate monsters will inevitably resort to pilfering.

And although the outside world's cool tidings can't reach those living within the depths of Nazarick, they too sprung to life, just as eagerly as the surface dwellers.

To say they had fully recovered from the bone-chilling dread instilled within them by the supreme one's outburst last evening would be a lie.

They were restless - but eager, nonetheless.

To devote themselves even more to their supreme ruler and assuage his suffering - which they all tacitly realized had to be a result of their own shortcomings.

In one bed chamber sat one such restless denizen: a flustered battle maid, whose heart was fluttering nervously...

**POV Lupusregina**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Sis, I don't know about this…" I protest while studying myself in the mirror.

"Nonsense! You must look absolutely perfect if you're to properly serve Ainz-sama today. You should know that all the other maids typically put much more time and effort into their appearance than this on days when they serve the Supreme One" Yuri replies in a stern tone while running a brush through my hair. From her expression, one could assume she was in the midst of diffusing a bomb that was about to explode.

"I dunno… I just think it's a bit much. What made you decide to play makeup artist today anyway..." I pout, bringing a cautious finger to my newly glossed lips. I smack them together uncomfortably and a flavor that is vaguely-reminiscent of cherry assaults my tongue. I grimace.

Blek.

I've never been much of a makeup gal.

"Well, after seeing how you looked when you crawled out of bed… let's just say my conscience forced me to intervene" Yuri explains coldly.

I scratch my cheek with my index finger and laugh nervously.

"Ehehe... come on, don't be so dramatic, sis..."

"You looked like a feral beast"

"Urk-!"

"I've seen trolls with better bed-head than you" She muses mercilessly.

"Sis!"

"You even had a very obvious trail of dried saliva caked around the right corner of your mouth... honestly, when will you learn to sleep with your mouth closed like a normal person... you drool excessively"

"I-it's just a sign that I got a good night's rest!" I shout defensively: "and how can I 'learn' to sleep with my mouth closed?! Dont'cha think that's a little out of my control?!"

"All I'll say is, there's a reason why calling someone a mouth-breather is an insult - but putting aside your uncouth habits for now..." Yuri adds in a sharp tone before I can protest her claim:

"You do want to look good for Ainz-sama, don't you?" She teases, and a slight smirk compromises her stoic visage.

-!

"W-why would I want to look good for Ainz-sama?" I mutter, averting my gaze to the floor.

"Well, do you want to look bad for him?"

"N-no! Of course not!"

"So then you want to look good for him" she explains matter-of-factly, with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"I-I guess… but when you say it like that, out of the blue..." I trail off irately as my wolf ears droop bashfully against my head.

Where does she get off spouting such remarks so early in the morning...

"Well then there you have it. Now quit fidgeting, I'm nearly finished" she scolds.

"Bleh… yes mother" I pout, puffing out my cheeks:

"Having fun at my expense so early in the morning... just you wait, I'll get you back..." I grumble inaudibly.

A long sigh bursts from my mouth, as if expelling the heat that was accumulating in my cheeks.

I drag my gaze back to my reflection and focus on my styled hair and red lips.

Does Ainz-sama… really like this sort of stuff?

"As noble and dignified as Ainz-sama is, Lupusregina, he is still a man. While he may not salivate or indulge mindless fantasies like most pigs would after seeing you, a little extra self-care on your part will certainly not go unnoticed or unappreciated" Yuri offers knowingly as though she had read my mind.

Are all older sisters just blessed with an innate ability to read their younger siblings' thoughts, or is that just something my freak of a sister was endowed with?!

"I… have no idea what you're talking about…" I stammer out in an unconvincing tone, refusing to meet her eyes in the mirror.

"Right, of course not" she replies smugly: "and, done! Now, off you go… please behave yourself. The supreme one is currently suffering greatly as a result of our collective inadequacies. Just… don't inconvenience him in any way: you are to take your task seriously, and that means no shenanigans or-"

"Jeez, I get it okay!" I shout while clamoring out of my chair: "and you make it sound as though I was PLANNING on inconveniencing Ainz-sama!" I whine.

Yuri shrugs coldly:

"Well, I know how you can be if you're cramped up indoors for a long period of time. You get bored and antsy extremely quickly, which leads to you being easily distracted, which makes you more liable to make mistakes: something we cannot afford to have happen given the circumstances"

"Urk…" I groan in defeat. She has a point… if I'm just forced to stand around all day doing basic maid tasks, I might - at the very least - blow my brains out.

Although… how could I possibly be bored in Ainz-sama's presence?

At that inward admission, my heart does a somersault.

A whole day with Ainz-sama…

Why is my stomach so full of butterflies right now? It's not a hard task... even the lowest level maids can manage it...

Must be because I'm worried about making a mistake, or something...

Oh! I need to get going or I'm going to be late!

"Gotta go! I'll do my best!" I assure while flashing a confident grin, to which Yuri sighs resignedly.

Leaving the pleiades' quarters, I head towards Nazarick's cafeteria.

There's just one pit-stop I need to make before going to Ainz-sama…

This won't be fun.

I smack my lips together anxiously and the cosmetic coating's artificial flavoring rolls over my tongue once again.

So even Ainz-sama appreciates stuff like this, huh…

For some reason, the cherry flavor on my lips tastes much more palatable than it did a few minutes ago.

...

Not really in the mood to startle anyone, I deemed it unnecessary to enter the cafeteria with my invisibility activated.

That was a mistake.

From the moment I stepped into the bustling open-concept eating area, I was quickly swarmed by just about every individual within.

"Lupusregina-san!"

"Lupusregina! Your hair looks extra amazing this morning, what's the occasion?!"

"Is that lipstick? It really suits your complexion!"

"Lupusregina, please marry me!"

"You should eat breakfast with me!"

They all cooed, forming a ring around me.

It's not every day a pleiade drops by the normal maids' cafeteria - let alone one wearing an uncharacteristically large amount of makeup.

I was expecting a much more somber atmosphere, given what happened last night but... I suppose they're levels are so paltry they weren't even able to pick up on Ainz-sama's anguish the other night...

perhaps they felt a slight, inexplicable uneasiness: but that's probably the extent of their experience.

And that's probably for the best.

After a few minutes of offering thank-you's and scratching the back of my head, I eventually broke free from my ravenous groupies and located the one who I was looking for, who happened to be ebulliently waving her arms towards me with a wide grin on her face. She patted the seat next to her invitingly, and so I quickly slipped into the seat.

...

"What's wrong Lupusregina-san? You've hardly eaten a bite…" The homunculus maid sitting next to me in the cafeteria asks in a concerned tone, motioning with a wave of her fork towards the untouched meal she had put together and placed in front of me.

"Ehehe… yeah, I guess I'm just a little off this morning… though it's fine, because it seems like you're eating enough for the both of us…" I joke with a smile, watching her shovel forkful after forkful into her mouth from her comically large heap of food.

The other maids around us laugh daintily.

"Well 'f course I'm eatin' a lot! I nee' t' be at peak per'orm'nce if I'm to pro'erly 'erve Ainz-sama today!" She boasts through a mouthful of food.

The other maids around us all sigh wistfully:

"Ah you're so lucky, Judy-chan!"

"Do you HAVE to rub it in? It isn't my turn to serve Ainz-sama for another eleven days! I can't take it!"

"I would trade the rest of my life away if it meant being able to serve Ainz-sama today!"

Judy responds to this chorus of envious groaning with what I can only assume to be a grin, though it's hard to tell with her cheeks as stuffed as they are.

A pang of guilt seizes my heart, which throbs sympathetically for the maid next to me.

Aw man, she's super psyched for today… and understandably so.

A full day of basking in Ainz-sama's glory. It's the greatest gift any denizen of Nazarick could hope for.

I swallow slowly while studying her face, glowing with excitement.

No matter what, I have to be the one to act as Ainz's personal assistant for the day.

As per Demiurge's request…

Oblivious to my inner dilemma, Judy continues gorging herself, face practically buried in her plate.

Despite her seemingly improper way of eating, impressively enough, her face and outfit remain perfectly clean, without so much as a single speck of food or drink anywhere.

As expected of a bonafide maid of Nazarick, I suppose.

"Er… Judy, would you be willing to do me a favor?" I whisper hesitantly, at a volume so that none of the other maids would overhear.

"Mmph?" She glances up from her plate with wide eyes, and for the first time this morning, her fork lay motionless on her plate.

She takes a moment to swallow before turning to me with an elated expression.

"Of course! Anything for you, Lupusregina-san! I am at your service!" She assures happily, clearly excited by the prospect of being able to help a pleiade.

I've never been one to beat around the bush, so I guess I'll just say it!

"Anything, you say? Phew, well that's a relief! Because I actually need to take your position as Ainz-sama's personal assistant for the day!" I declare in a cheerfully casual tone, making sure to clutch at my chest and feign a melodramatic sigh of relief.

_Blink blink._

"...c-come again?" She stammers confusedly.

"Yeppers, you heard me right! It's really important that I assume your duties today, for Ainz-sama's sake! It's part of a mission bestowed upon me by all the floor guardians. You understand, right?"

"W-well I-"

Forgive me, Judy-san!

"Great, then it's settled! I'll make it up to you I promise!" I swear, patting her forcefully on the back before getting up from my seat and walking away at a brisk pace.

"Wait, Lupusregina-san! I-is it because you doubt my abilities? Am I… inadequate to serve the supreme one?!" She calls out to me tearfully.

Fighting back the frown tugging at the corners of my mouth, I reply in my typical, insensitively bubbly tone.

"Nope, I'm sure you're great, but well... it is what it is, you know? Just take it easy, see ya! There's always next time!" I call out with a dismissive wave before activating my invisibility spell and quickly slipping out of the eating area.

…

Well, here I am... out of the fire and into the frying pan.

I stare blankly at the throne room's entrance, biting my lower lip, while my clenched hand lingers precariously close to the heavy metal door.

And here comes the interaction I had been dreading the most.

'The guardian overseer… how shall I put this… she might not be too fond of the idea of letting you wait on Ainz-sama all day' The seventh floor guardian had offered cryptically with an uneasy swish of his tail before sending me off last night.

He refused to explain why that would be the case, but… his words sent an instinctive chill down my spine, and I can't shake the feeling he might be right.

Maybe because I know Demiurge is never wrong? And I know that Albedo can be quite anal about things, so I wouldn't be surprised if she gets upset because the day's plan had been changed at the last minute without her knowledge... but I can't imagine she'd get riled up enough over such an insignificant change to warrant a warning from Nazarick's top-strategist...

which means it's something else entirely.

And the fact that I have absolutely no idea what that 'something else' could be has been eating me alive all morning!

...

Saying a silent prayer, I knock against the door. Perhaps because I'm a bit on edge, I wince from the brassy echo produced.

A few seconds later, I hear a set of elegant footsteps approaching the door from the other side.

Gulp. Here goes...

_Ker-swiiiiing._

The opulent door swings open to reveal a curvy figure:

Black wings flexing anxiously, gold eyes wide with surprise, and arms crossed over a voluptuous chest.

"Heya, Albedo-san!" I greet with as much enthusiasm as I can muster.

"Lupusregina… what brings you to the throne room at this time? I do not believe you have been summoned" The guardian overseer inquires in a noble tone.

"Ahhh… about that, some last minute changes were made and, well… I'm the one who will be acting as Ainz's personal assistant today" I clarify hesitantly, scratching the back of my head.

"... For what purpose?" She asks, suddenly narrowing her eyes suspiciously - a moment later, she slowly sweeps her scrutinizing stare up and down, sizing me up from top to bottom.

My wolf ears twitch reactively.

The heck is wrong with her?

I suddenly feel very self-conscious about my appearance…

Unable to bear the weight of her eyes any longer, I open my mouth, a bit annoyed:

"Albedo-san, what's-"

-!

I suddenly feel a finger press against my lips, and a moment later, a hand runs through my hair.

"Styled hair… red lipstick… eye-liner…" the succubus mutters incoherently.

"Is… somethin' wrong, Alb-" I start again awkwardly, but stop dead in my tracks as I notice the overseer's eyes light up with a contemptuous glimmer.

"You!" She suddenly cries out venomously.

I recoil in shock.

"ayaya... indoor voice, Albedo, pl-...eh?" I stop again, noticing a drastic change in the overseer's demeanour.

Her fists are clenched, wings spread out, and a judgemental shine has manifested in her icy stare.

What's got her panties in a knot all of sudden?!

"I know what you're after, you conniving little minx!" she seethes.

m-minx?!

"E-ehhhhhh?!" I squeak in a high pitch: "what are you saying, Albedo-san?!"

"Don't even try to deny it, I see right through you! You're here to try and take advantage of Ainz-sama's emotional vulnerability and seduce him with your feminine wiles!" she screeches, jamming an index finger accusingly into my chest.

"Huh?!" I gasp in bewilderment.

What the hell could POSSIBLY give her that impression? Has she gone nuts!?

"N-no, Albedo! You misunderstand!"

"Oh really? then why are you so dressed up today?!" The succubus spits out furiously, unleashing a foreboding aura.

I suddenly take note of my curled hair in my peripheral vision, and the fruity taste on my lips.

Her eyes bore into my very soul, demanding an explanation.

"Oh... ahaha... right..." I mutter lamely in an attempt to buy time.

What the hell do I say?!

I have a sneaking suspicion that maybe... just MAYBE, saying 'I wanted to look good for Ainz-sama', would not bode well for my near-future self's well being.

A cloud of panic engulfs my mind as Albedo's stare turns from hostile to downright murderous.

Um, um! Believable excuse, um… oh, right!

I'm not one to throw people under the bus, but-!

Forgive me, sis!

"I-i-it was at the insistence of Yuri-san, it wasn't my idea!" I blurt out shamelessly.

Albedo arches an eyebrow.

"And why would Yuri insist on that? Do not lie, your burning face says it all!" She insists callously: "To think, you'd have the gall to go after Ainz-sama like that! Have you no shame?!"

Urk... well that backfired...

"W-wait I-"

"NO! No more ridiculous excuses!" She snarls, grabbing me by the shoulders in a vice grip.

"Let me make one thing clear, Lupusregina Beta! I, Albedo, guardian overseer of Nazarick, will be Ainz-sama's headwife! Got it? You actually think you deserve to stand at Ainz-sama's side?! You're unworthy! It'll never happen!" She roars condescendingly, leaning in towards me.

I recoil from her harsh words, that sting like a serrated knife plunged into my heart.

I clutch at my chest, now throbbing so excruciatingly that I can barely breathe.

Our golden eyes lock: my own, wide and incredulous, and hers, fierce and piercing.

It's no surprise whose gaze crumbles first.

"A-Albedo…" I trail off dejectedly, staring at my feet. I feel the warmth of tears collecting in the corners of my eyes, and I clench them shut to hold them back.

Why did her words hurt so much?

She only spoke the truth: there's no way I could ever be with the supreme one.

I'm simply unworthy.

so unworthy, in fact, that I had never even entertained the thought…

Me and Ainz-sama?

Ha! That's laughable.

Me and Ainz-sama… as if!

Hilarious!

Ridiculous.

Unfathomable…

...Impossible...

"AND IF YOU believe I'll let you just WALTZ in with your face done up like a whore and try snatch his heart away, think again!" Albedo rants mercilessly, exacerbating the already nauseating pain in my chest.

My mind swirls like a tumultuous storm, ringing violently with the overseer's cruel words:

unworthy... undeserving... whore...

'It'll never happen!'

Why am I so bothered by that? I never get hung up on insults like this...

I shake my head emphatically. It feels like my heart is about to burst...

Swallowing back the lump that had started manifesting in my throat, I force my vocal cords to work.

"L-L-Lady Albedo, I'm not here for anything like that! I'm only here for today, on Demiurge-san's orders!" I wail desperately.

"Huff… what? Demiurge sent you?" She pants out breathlessly.

A look of confusion crosses her face, and I waste no time explaining myself further before the conversation can devolve again:

"He asked me to be Ainz-sama's assistant for the day so that I could find an opportunity to ask about details in regards to the whole 'salary man' thing and what-not in a discrete fashion that won't draw attention to the guardians!" I sputter.

"..."

The fervent overseer falls silent in deep contemplation.

I watch her bite down on her lower lip - and so sensing her hesitancy, I quickly offer:

"I have no other obligations today, and have already spoken with Judy! Everything's squared away!"

"..."

After what feels like an eternity, the succubus finally sighs and lets go of my shoulders.

"Unfortunately, I cannot think of a logical reason to oppose this development... very well, I will allow you to serve as Ainz-sama's assistant today…" she concludes with a sour expression.

My whole body, which I didn't even realize was so tense, finally relaxes and I exhale in relief - though it does nothing to quell the pain gnawing at my heart.

"phew, thanks for understanding" I begin graciously, putting on a mischeivous grin.

The overseer reciprocates with a gentle smile of her own.

It seems all is well again.

I take one step forward in hopes of entering the throne room and leaving this entire mishap behind me.

-!

Suddenly, with a pleasant smile still plastered on her face, Albedo lunges forward. Before I can even blink, she wraps her wings firmly around me, enveloping us both in a feathery cage that is impermeable to light.

She leans in until our faces are just inches apart, forcing me to peer into her golden eyes, glittering like gemstones in the darkness, and I forget to breathe.

"But if you try anything funny, or upset the supreme one in any way... I'll have you skewered" she whispers in an inflectionless tone, her warm breath tickling my nose.

I feel the color drain from my face, and my knees turn to jelly. "...R-right, I would never… do that…" I mutter weakly, breaking out in a cold sweat.

_Whoosh!_

The black imprisonment quickly retracts from around me, and I feel a hand gently pat my head.

"Of course, I know you wouldn't dare... that's why you're wearing so many cosmetic today, right?" She points out in a seemingly innocuous tone, smiling unnervingly.

She's a truly terrifying woman…

and petty!

Free from her clutches, the fear I had been experiencing thus far is swiftly replaced by a livid bitterness towards the humiliating belittling I had just been put through.

...She called me a whore for crying out loud!

Is this really who Ainz-sama wants to be with?!

It's official, Albedo is my least favorite guardian.

In fact, I might even prefer Kyouhukou over her!

…

Okay no, that's a lie… but still! she's much lower on my friends list now!

Despite the boiling indignation contaminating my thoughts, I flash a grin of my own.

the overseer's face briefly twitches in annoyance:

"Well, I won't keep you any longer… he's still in his chamber, so you are more than welcome to wait here with me until he emerges" she offers, as if she hadn't just scorned and threatened my life.

Nope nope nope! Definitely not!

"… I think I'd prefer to just go to his room, if that's okay with you…" I say nervously and quickly shuffle past her - no, scurry is a more correct word - with a silent nod.

I hasten my footsteps, eager to get as far away from the overbearing harpy as soon as possible.

I feel her dagger-like glare bore into my back, incentivizing me to move even faster. I'm practically running across the throne room at this point.

"Good luck! I do hope you find some useful information, using appropriate methods!" She calls out to me jubilantly.

I finally round the corner of the adjoining corridor which leads to the supreme beings' quarters: as soon as I exit Albedo's line of sight, I press my back against the wall and slide down to the ground, letting out a long breath as though I were deflating.

"Hahhhhh…"

I remain like that for several minutes, panting, with a million thoughts circulating my head.

'You actually think you're fit to stand by Ainz-sama? Never!'

…

Why am I SO fixated on that comment?

What does Albedo know, anyway?!

She's probably just jealous! Yeah! She sees me as a threat! I should take it as a compliment that she felt the need to insult me!

I-I could totally be with Ainz-sama! In fact, I'd probably be a much better match for him anyway!

She's so uptight! And mean! And controlling! And! And... loyal… and beautiful, and intelligent, and elegant, and dependable… and…

My head slumps dejectedly, and the fiery flames of indignation that had been stoked within my heart are swiftly extinguished.

Oh who am I kidding… as if I could compare with Albedo-san!

I can barely even follow basic orders…

With an uncharacteristically heavy frown, I rise on shaky feet and stare longingly down the hallway at the final door.

Beyond which resides the supreme one.

The man many leagues out of my reach, the very incarnation of perfection.

Wise, kind, charismatic, forgiving, powerful, humble... handsome.

Walking on autopilot down the hallway, eyes fixed on my destination, a strange though pops into my head:

I wonder… what did Ainz-sama dream of last night?

Maybe…

me?

Even as that baseless thought rolls carelessly off my brain's proverbial tongue, I feel my cheeks catch fire, and quickly shake my head wildly to snuff out the flames.

… yeah right... the day Ainz-sama even gives me a second thought will be the day we find out that Ainz-sama isn't actually an all-knowing genius.

In other words, never!

Well whatever!

It's not like I even think of Ainz-sama in that way!

Nuh-uh! So you can have him, Albedo! See if I care!

And with that final pout, I quicken my pace.

Shutting my brain off to keep out any other ridiculous thoughts, I don't even notice my subconscious mind directing my hands to carefully fix and adjust my hair and uniform as I wander down the hallway.

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

My eyes flash open.

What was that sensation just now?!

It felt like Albedo's aura flaring just now… something must be wrong!

I quickly fling the covers off and spring out of bed.

-!

I look down as I feel a cool draft blow loftily over my lower half.

Oh right… I'm naked.

And with that astute observation, the memory of what I had done last night rushes to the forefront of my brain.

"Lupusregina…" I mutter aloud accidentally, and feel my face burn up.

Ahhhhh I feel so ashamed! How could I have done THAT while thinking of her, one of my good friends' creations!

I take a deep breath through my nose, and nearly retch:

It smells like a brothel in here!

I mean, I've never been in a brothel before, but… if I had ever been in one, I'm sure it would've smelled just like this! Sweat and… and… erm… other fluids.

I glance at the comforter of my bed - at the crusty stain on one corner, and my eyes widen.

I didn't even take the time to clean up last night!

I clutch at my head and slump dizzily back onto the edge of my bed.

I'm… I'm…!

Disgusting!

I need to hurry and dispose of this mess right now! What if someone were to drop by my room right now? How would I explain THIS, in a way that would excuse the supreme overlord of Nazarick?!

I quickly jump off the bed and tear the dirty blanket off my bed, tossing it to floor in a crumpled ball a few feet away.

I'll burn the evidence away with a quick [fireball]! That should take care of the smell too!

Good thinking, me!

I quickly raise my hand and direct my palm towards the sinful pile of cloth with a triumphant grin.

I feel mana pool into my fingertips, and a hot orange glyph appear in front of my palm.

With a triumphant grin, I begin the chant:

"[FIRE-]!"

"Excuse me, Ainz-sa-"

"[-BALL]!"

_Whooooosh!_

A large ball of flame erupts from my hand and instantaneously vaporizes the blanket, charring the carpet underneath a sooty black.

Time freezes for me in that moment as I stare blankly towards my chamber's door.

Did I… hear something?

It almost sounded like..!

I open my mouth in a panic:

"W-wait, don't co-!"

Too late.

_KRR-THUD!_

The metal door crumples like tinfoil from the impact of a forcefully swung blunt object, and its demented mass crashes to the floor.

A moment later, a red haired maid wielding a croisier stumbles in with a wild look in her eyes.

"Ainz-sama! Are you-!" She screams out, glancing wildly around the room as if on the lookout for an intruder.

Upon realizing there are none, her eyes instantly lock on me.

I feel my breath leave my lungs as her worried golden eyes burn into my own.

For a few moments, we stand perfectly still, like statues, staring into each other's eyes.

Me, standing buck naked at my bedside, arm still outstretched towards the smouldering testament of my depravity, and her, the girl of my late-night fantasy.

We both struggle to comprehend the situation we find ourselves in now, searching for an answer into one another's unblinking eyes.

I can practically hear the cacophony of confused and embarrassed voices screaming inside both our heads.

Captivated by her citrine-colored eyes, my numbed brain compels my tongue to move, momentarily breaking the deafening silence.

She's…

"...pretty…" I mutter dazedly

Another heavy silence smothers the room, suffocating all intelligent thought.

Here she is… right in front of me, alone, in my bedroom…

Countless images flood my mind as I reach the end of that train of thought.

-!

No no no, stop-!

Too late.

I feel a wave of heat surge down and gather within a certain lower part, and it throbs to life.

Perhaps the sudden movement in her peripheral vision from an unexpected location in this time-frozen room had drawn her attention, but I watch in wide-eyed horror as her eyes dart downwards.

I follow her gaze down.

…

_Blink blink._

'_Fshhhhh..!'_

I can practically hear my soul fizzle morosely out of my body.

_Ker-clunk!_

Lupusregina's croisier slips noisily from her grasp and clatters to the ground at her feet as her jaw hits the floor.

Unfrotunately, the loud noise startles my fleeing soul back to the corporeal world.

"A-A-Ainz...sama…you aren't wearing any c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-clothes !" She sputters deliriously, raising a trembling finger to point at my crotch, her face as red as a firetruck.

... and yet she's not looking away?!

"Oh, am I not? Thanks for noticing, I HAD NO IDEA!" I shout out sarcastically, quickly lowering my hands to cover my arousal.

Why is she still gawking?! It feels like she's staring right through my hands!

"L-Lupusregina-!" I cry out in a shamefully high pitch.

Her head shoots up at the sound of my voice, and a moment later, her eyes widen guiltily as she meets my gaze.

"A-A-Ainz-sama!" She yelps in surprise - though she still makes absolutely NO effort to salvage the situation.

"COVER YOUR EYES!" I finally shriek pleadingly.

"Gah! F-FORGIVE ME, AINZ-SAMA!" She yelps in a panic, slapping herself quite forcefully in the face as she brings both hands up to cover her scarlet face.

Seizing the moment, I scramble for my robe and wrap it sloppily around me.

_Badump Badump Badump!_

My heart is drumming madly in my ears.

Both of our faces are red enough to put a tomato to shame, and neither of us know what to say next.

We're both too cautious to even move a muscle.

How can I, the supreme ruler of Nazarick, make this all better?

A boss who exposes himself to his employee... there's no salvaging that!

The situation has hit rock bottom!

...But at least it can't get any worse, right?

_Fwip!_

Suddenly, something materializes between the two of us.

…

Well.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Fuck.

'At least it can't get any worse, right?'

I just had to think that, didn't I?

Sensing a third presence, Lupuregina tentatively spreads her fingers slightly to peek out.

the color promptly drains from her face.

"GAH!" She yelps in surprise, jumping back several feet.

The new arrival, who until now had quietly glanced back and forth between me and Lupusregina, suddenly clenches their fists tightly - while, contrastly, their lips furl into a bone-chilling smile.

My throat has gone dry.

"L-listen… it's not what it looks like, Albedo..!" I mutter hoarsely.

She turns her head to face me, eyes shut, with a mad grin that curdles my blood.

uh oh.

"Hm?" She hums in an overly-cheery tone: "and what exactly does it look like, Ainz-sama?" She asks sweetly.

Uwaaaah how scary!

A cold bead of sweat trickles down my forehead.

Lupusregina has shrinked back against the wall, completely pale.

"Er… I just don't want you to misunderstand, Albedo. You see-" I begin in a weak attempt to defuse the situation.

"Misunderstand?" She interrupts, causing me to wince in place: "What is there to possibly misunderstand?" She pursues innocently.

... Is this what it feels like to be chewed out by your wife?! I don't like this!

What a loaded question!

...What do I say to that?!

"A-Albedo-san! It was an accident! I heard an explosion go off in here, so I rushed in without thinking out of concern, and it just so happened that Ainz-sama was in the middle of getting dressed! Nothing happened!" The wolf-maid pipes up, before flinching as the succubus turns to face her.

"Oh, is that all?"

"Y-yes!" Lupusregina and I shout in unison, before turning to look at each other in surprise, and we both blush as a result.

"And why was there an explosion?"

Both pairs of eyes fall on me expectantly and my heart nearly leaps out of my chest.

"I...was...just... doing a routine test of this human body's abilities! Mhm!" I say while chuckling nervously towards the floor, flexing the fingers of my right hand for emphasis.

to my astonishment, the overseer nods her head... approvingly?!

"I see... then all is forgiven, Lupusregina…" Albedo offers calmly.

My head snaps up skeptically.

Eh?

"...Eh?" Lupusregina squeaks in disbelief, slowly peeling herself off the wall.

"R-really?" The pleiade asks hopefully.

"Yes… as you said, it was just an accident, so all is forgiven" she reiterates with a reassuring nod.

…

A few seconds pass as the maid and I wait with bated breath for the inevitable 'sike!'.

But it never comes!

"Hah…" Lupusregina and I finally sigh in relief.

We really dodged a bullet… I'm dumbfounded, actually. But I'm not complaining!

The three of us all exchange grateful smiles, melting away the passive-aggressive tension in the air.

"... or, I'm sure that's what you would've liked me to say" The succubus suddenly whispers ominously.

wait wh-

Before we can even interpret her remark:

_Krakoom!_

Albedo spins around and launches explosively off the floor in one swift motion, lunging straight towards the wolf maid.

"Wha-?!"

No sooner had the astonished syllable left her mouth than Albedo's two wings slammed into her gut, catapulting her through the open doorway to skid across the floor.

The guardian overseer quickly surges forward, like a calamity, after the pleiade's tumbling form.

Her axe materializes within her grasp and in one smooth motion, she drives its long blade down towards the wolf's head.

"Waah!" The pleiade yelps, rolling out of the way at the last possible second to narrowly avoid decapitation. Picking up her croisier as she rolled, she barely manages to raise it in front of her face as she rises to her feet in time to block another blow backed with killing intent.

The croisier lets out a low metallic groan from the impact, and Lupusregina's knees buckle slightly.

"Albedo, wait-!" she attempts to explain - but her plea falls on deaf ears as the angel of death begins a merciless onslaught of heavy swings, each one packed with enough power to end the maid's life.

As Albedo continues her barrage, Lupusregina is forced to retreat after every vicious attack, bringing their clash further down the hallway.

A blurry flash of metal streaks, hollow shrieks, and shockwaves fills the corridor, and all I can do is watch from afar, jaw gaping, with glazed eyes.

"Ainz-sama!" The red head shouts desperately while ducking under a whistling hay-maker.

I clench my eyes shut.

Sorry Lupusregina... but I choose life!

"SILENCE!" I hear the succubus cry, her wail followed shortly after by a thunderous crash, and the ground trembles beneath my feet from a cataclysmic impact.

_Boom! Krak! KA-clang!_

Rooted in place and unable to bring myself to move, I hear the echoes of their battle get further and further away, nearly out of sight.

"AS IF I'D EVER FORGIVE YOU FOR PEEPING ON AINZ-SAMA, YOU FILTHY PERVERT!" I hear the overseer cry accusingly between blows.

"YOU'RE A BAD DOG WHO NEEDS TO BE PUT DOWN!" She shrieks, swinging her axe diagonally in such a way that had Lupusregina not managed to lean at just the right angle, one of her wolf ears would've been lopped off.

The maid desperately tries to formulate a response between dodges and blocking.

"I told you, it wasn't - gah! - Like that at - whoa! - all!"

"OH SAVE IT, I KNEW YOU COULDN'T BE TRUSTED TO SERVE AINZ-SAMA SO CLOSELY! NOW, AS LEADER OF THE FLOOR GUARDIANS, I ORDER YOU TO HOLD STILL AND FORFEIT YOUR LIFE!"

"HEHHHH?!"

"IT'S THE ONLY SUITABLE PUNISHMENT!"

"N-no way!"

"YOU DARE REFUSE A DIRECT ORDER FROM ME? FOR THAT, THE PUNISHMENT IS DEATH!"

"W-wait, so - eep! - I'm getting killed twice now?! Doesn't that - hup! -mean that it cancels out or something and I get to live?!"

"NO, IT MEANS I KILL YOU NOW, RESURRECT YOU, AND KILL YOU AGAIN!"

"Waaaaah! AINZ-SAMAAAAA! HEEEEEEEELP!"

Her cry resonates dully in my ears, as I stare blankly at the ceiling in defeat, tuned out of reality.

I…

Should've just stayed in bed.


	13. Chapter 13

**In The Flesh**

**A/N: **

**No, I am not dead!**

**No, I am not dropping this story!**

**Yes, I'm sorry for going dark for an entire month!**

**Long story short, I've been busying myself with school work and getting involved in my school community. On top of that, this chapter took a particularly long time as well because I was debating for the longest time on whether or not I should implement a certain… variable.**

**But here it is, and, with a 'better late than never!' attitude, I present to you a fairly lengthy chapter! The second longest yet, in fact. (Hopefully that partially makes up for the five week pause?)**

**On a positive note, I've fully realized my niche within my university now, and so I can confidently say that updates will be more frequent than once a month moving forward. That being said, I'm currently in the midst of writing midterms, and, in another month's time, finals O_o. So I won't even try to propose a definitive update rate right now, only time will tell XD. Most likely every 2-3 weeks(?) but don't quote me on that! **

**Anyway, I've babbled on for long enough! Enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 13: **

"**The Silver Paladin"**

**POV Enri**

**.**

**.**

**.**

Did I… hear that correctly?

"Ah, Jugem-san… did you say Jircniv-dono wants to see me?"

"Yes!"

"As in… the emperor of the Baharuth Empire..?"

"The very same!"

"Ah..."

What the hell could he - the Blood Emperor - want to talk about with me?!

I feel… woozy.

I teeter dizzily, barely managing to grab the windowsill before I keel over.

"Enri-sama-!" Jugem shouts worriedly, frowning deeply. Much to my chagrin, this garners the attention of several passersby, who all gaze up at my window confusedly.

"I-I'm fine…" I reassure, straightening myself up again and taking a deep breath.

My face must be a ghostly white, because Jugem flashes a sympathetic smile.

"If it makes it any easier for you, chief… he isn't really an emperor anymore: he's just a vassal of the Sorcerer Kingdom! He's not above you in any way, Enri-sama! In fact, in my eyes, you've always been his superior!" He shouts emphatically, flexing his arm muscles in an exaggerated manner.

I smile weakly. He's read me like an open book.

"Ehehe… you know me too well..."

"I know! I'm the best! Now let's go!" He cries with a crude grin.

"R-right… I'll be right down!" I shout - more to myself than to Jugem.

I spin on my heels and rush towards the door.

Oh! I almost forgot!

Tiptoeing quietly to Nphi's side of the bed, I brush my hair to the side and lean down to plant a delicate kiss on his cheek.

He stirs groggily for the briefest of moments before returning to his comatose state.

I notice a streak of faint blue powder smudged onto his cheek.

Blek.

No wonder he tastes awful… he's so hopeless.

But that's why I love him.

…

With Jugem at the lead, we both race fervently towards the main gate.

There's already a whole bunch of people gathered around it, exchanging rumors with hushed tones and serious expressions.

"This way, Enri-sama!" Jugem cries, leading me through the crowd.

I feel many inquisitive stares bore into my back as I wade through the sea of people, which only serves to fuel my anxiety.

What could Jircniv-dono want? I mean, he's here with an army, but… surely he isn't foolish enough to attack us...right? No, that can't be… if that were the case, he wouldn't have eschewed the element of surprise. I guess I'll just have to wait and find out from this messenger directly.

"Huff…" I exhale breathlessly as I struggle to keep up with the stout goblin in front of me.

He may have small legs, but he sure knows how to use them...

The air is cooler than I had anticipated, and it numbs my burning lungs with a chill foretelling the imminence of winter.

Shivering as I run, we finally come to a stop about twenty feet away from the eight meter tall gate, atop which impressively outfitted goblins from the archery and magic bombardment ranks are standing guard. In fact, such troops are dispersed evenly along the crenelated walls that surround the entire city.

"Ohoho! Enri-san, it's good to see you!" An amused chortle reaches my ears, and I whip my head towards the voice.

There stands the goblin strategist, beckoning me with a wave of his feathery fan.

Beside him are two redcap elites: grinning maniacally, they each have a blade pressed against the throat of a very pale man.

He's a rather big man, standing a full head taller than myself. From the emblem engraved upon his lustrous steel armor, it's clear he's from the Baharuth empire: and judging from the navy blue cape draped upon his shoulders, he's likely a fairly high ranking individual.

I can see his face glistening with perspiration, and he looks to me with wide, fearful eyes.

"Is this..?" I trail off hesitantly.

"Indeed, Enri-sama! This human claims that the Baharuth Empire is here for 'diplomatic purposes only'... yet he refuses to disclose what that purpose is! And, even more antithetical to his claim is the fact that they have amassed an army of approximately three thousand strong, right on our doorstep!" The goblin strategist cries out, thrusting his fan accusingly towards the man.

"T-three thousand?!" I exclaim a bit too loudly. I hear uncomfortable shifting and anxious murmurings break out among the townspeople behind me. Whoops...

The red caps press their blades more forcefully into the man's throat. Feeling the cold metal scrape along his adam's apple, his eyes widen fearfully:

"N-no, you misunderstand! Our lord, you see, he's…" he trails off in a despondent tone, averting his gaze to the ground with an expression that seems to convey 'shit, I said too much'.

"Your lord? What's wrong with Emperor Jircniv?" the goblin strategist presses, not allowing the man a single moment to regain his composure.

"N-nothing!" The man reassures in an unconvincing tone.

The goblin strategist narrows his eyes for a moment, and shakes his head nearly imperceptibly: a subtle way of telling the bloodthirsty redcaps to stay their blades.

Then he shrugs his shoulders dramatically.

"Oh well, then I suppose I'm left no choice. A man who claims to seek a diplomatic rendezvous for a reason he cannot say, backed by such a large army… well, it's suspicious to say the least. We'll just have to slit your throat and annihilate all your comrades" he announces in such a nonchalant tone that it took a full second for the panic to etch its way onto the Baharuth soldier's face.

"W-wait!" he screeches hoarsely.

The goblin strategist raises an eyebrow expectantly, and my stomach flutters uneasily as I recognize his interrogational prowess.

The man's throat lurches anxiously.

"Y-you see… Jircniv-sama… he is unwell…" he offers ambiguously in a hushed tone.

"Unwell? What do you mean by that?" I blurt out without thinking.

In the corner of my eye, I notice the goblin strategist smile at me and nod his head approvingly.

"Hurm… he has lost himself in recent days" the soldier replies.

The strategist narrows his eyes in annoyance.

"I grow weary of your vagueness. Come now, no more beating around the bush. Truthfully, we have no business with your dethroned emperor, and he has no business here. Good day" he concludes, running the length of his fan across his throat.

The redcaps snicker in delight, and the man's eyes widen in realization:

"H-hold on! P-please!" He yelps, but clenches his eyes shut in grim resignation nonetheless. The redcaps' hands begin to move...

"Wait!" I cry, taking a step forward toward.

The redcaps both flinch in response and retract their blades from the man's throat.

The Baharuth soldier opens a single eye and regards me desperately.

"E-enri-sama?" The strategist gasps in a bewildered tone.

"Er…" I stammer, frozen in place with one outstretched arm lingering in the air.

I stepped forward impulsively from a mix of sheer curiosity and not wanting to see a man's throat sliced open right before my eyes.

How can I just turn away emperor Jircniv without even hearing what he has to say? It's the least I could do, from one vassal of the Sorcerer Kingdom to another.

Plus, I'm curious gosh darnit!

Though a part of me - the remnants of a naive village girl - just wants to go home and crawl back under the covers and forget the blood emperor ever showed up on this city's doorstep.

But I'm not just a village girl anymore, and have obligations and responsibilities that far exceed those of a normal civilian.

My throat feels like sandpaper.

"I… I'd like to meet with Jircniv-dono. Release him" I command quietly.

The redcaps immediately release their captive with ostensible disappointment while sheathing their blades.

The man exhales shakily and wobbles unsteadily as his jelly-turned knees slowly ossify.

"Very well, if that is what you desire, Enri-sama" The goblin strategist concedes with a dutiful bow.

"You have my gratitude, Enri-dono…" the man sputters gratefully.

How would Ainz-sama - someone calm and regal - act right now? Maybe… he'd say something like this..?

"Think nothing of it. Now go, and return with your lord. I hope I will not regret sparing your life" I warn in a somewhat shaky voice while swiping my arm through the air in a slicing motion.

I immediately feel my face burn up in embarrassment at one of my first attempts to come across as a proper ruler. That felt so unnatural!

I feel silly thinking I could even attempt to emulate the Great One… he's a natural born leader, composed and authoritative so effortlessly!

Despite my inner admonishments, however, my act seemed to have had the intended effect.

The messenger nods his head enthusiastically.

"V-very well! You have my word, we have no ill intentions!" the man quickly assures with a bow.

" - Only intentions fueled by illness…" I hear him mutter peculiarly in an exasperated breath before raising his head and turning around to scramble over to his horse, currently tethered to a post.

What was that about?

The gate slowly opens and the man hurriedly gallops through before I can ask him.

For an indeterminate period, time seems to slow to a crawl for me as I watch the colossal gate sluggishly close.

I guess now… we just wait? Urk… I can't believe I'm about to meet with a real Emperor, as his equal! Six months ago, I could never have even fathomed something so surreal.

_Whump!_

Suddenly, the sound of something dropping to the ground echoes dully from behind me, causing me to jump in surprise.

I whirl around - to see the goblin strategist prostrating at my feet.

"W-what are you doing?! Are you alright?" I yelp in surprise, wondering perhaps if he had eaten something disagreeable.

"Enri-sama!" He cries in an uncharacteristically vehement voice.

"Y-yes?"

"Please, forgive this foolish one for assuming he knew what you desired and issued an order which directly contradicted your wish! Please, punish me!" He begs.

_SLAM!_

He presses his forehead to the ground with excessive force.

"E-eh?!" Is all I can manage to squeak out, taking a step back.

"Please! I failed you, and thus have failed life itself! I deserve a punishment!".

Why so dramatic?! What am I supposed to do in a situation like this?!

"N-no, it's alright… you did nothing wrong, strategist-san! Truth be told, I didn't even know what I wanted to do until I stepped forward at the last second!" I reason desperately, knowing full well that I have neither the confidence nor the heart to issue a penalty for something so insignificant.

Much to my chagrin, the goblin presses adamantly:

"Still! I should not have spoken on your behalf! It was unacceptable! Please, do unto me as you wish! The harsher, the better!"

The two redcaps off to the side nod their heads in solemn concurrence.

A cold bead of sweat trickles down the eyebrow above my now twitching eye.

"A-ah, that won't be necessary, I-I forgive you!"

No sooner had the words left my mouth than the distressed glimmer in his eyes told me it was a futile effort on my part.

"No! I must be punished somehow, or I will be consumed by guilt!"

"Ehhhhhhhhhh?!"

A subordinate… that refuses to NOT take a punishment?! Is he even allowed to do that?!

I wonder if Ainz-sama has ever gone through something like this..?

Oh who am I kidding?! I'm sure I'm the only leader incompetent enough to have ever found herself in this situation.

But… if, hypothetically, Ainz-sama ever found himself in such a ridiculous situation... he'd never feel as awkward or uncomfortable as I do right now, that's for sure! He'd… just calmly issue a punishment, right?

Gulp.

I don't like this. Not one bit. I don't have such apt judgement…

"V-very well, strategist-san… then your punishment… is..!" I trail off, wracking my brain.

Something substantial enough that will satisfy him, but won't make me feel bad. Something like… that?

"Strategist-san!"

"Yes!"

"As punishment… you are not allowed to eat lunch today!" I declare with a grin.

There! I don't feel too bad about that!

The goblin looks up at me incredulously with a constipated expression.

"Enri-sama..! Tch!" He cries out, clicking his tongue self-beratingly. He clenches his fists and presses his head to the dirt again.

"W-what is it?" I ask nervously.

Is that too harsh?!

"Enri-sama! I have… gone against your direct order again!" He cries out through teary eyes, clenching his eyes shut.

"W-what do you mean?" I ask incredulously.

He slams his fist into the ground.

"I… have already eaten lunch today!" He weeps lamentably.

Oh for crying out-!

"...Oh… well then, it can't be helped, don't worry about it" I try again.

"NO! Now I must be doubly punished for my transgressions! I should've anticipated such a punishment, and yet I went and ignorantly ate my food! " He argues.

What do I even say to that?!

"T-then… how about you don't eat dinner tonight!" I suggest.

"No, that is simply not enough! That is much too merciful!"

"Eh… well then what do you propose would be a suitable punishment?" I ask tiredly.

He snaps his head up in such a way that I feel whiplashed just from having watched it.

He opens his mouth.

"Other than death!" I quickly add.

The goblin's maw slowly closes and he furrows his brows in ponderance.

"Hahhh…" I huff in frustration, allowing my shoulders to slump in defeat.

"Oh dear! It seems I have upset you even more! Please, I beg of you: I will accept no fewer than three punishments now! One of which should most definitely be death!"

The redcaps both nod their heads again in resolute agreement.

"Strategist-san, please!" I groan, feeling tears begin to well up in my eyes.

…

Eventually, I managed to talk the goblin strategist off the ledge - he was disconcertingly hellbent on being killed.

But in the end, I managed to think up a punishment he begrudgingly accepted.

And I don't mean to brag, but it was fairly clever of me.

I decided his punishment to be that he is not allowed to speak to me for the rest of the day.

And as soon as I said that, he could not utter a single protest - because if he did, then obviously he'd be ignoring the order I had just issued.

And so even as his face contorted painfully and he pursed his lips to keep himself from protesting, I simply turned and walked away.

And now here I am, in the town's city hall, seated at the head of a meeting table.

Awaiting the arrival of the Blood Emperor.

I shift in my seat uncomfortably, twiddling my thumbs and fidgeting about every so often in silence for many minutes.

I sneak a peek at the figure standing at my side, in whose shadow I am bathed.

The death knight, sensing my gaze, immediately turns its head with a hollow creaking sound and regards me with soulless eyes.

"Ehehe… h-how are you today?" I blurt out nervously.

Naturally, it doesn't respond. It just continues to stare blankly, as though it were looking through me.

"G-good talk..." I trail off uncomfortably, crumpling under its intimidating glare.

Uwahh! Even though they're both undead, the death knight's stare is just perturbingly lifeless when compared to Ainz-sama's!

I quickly avert my gaze, taking a sudden interest in the ceiling.

In the corner of my eye, I see it cock its head to the side slightly in confusion before giving up and looking forward to the room's entrance, re-assuming its statue still posture.

While I know death knights are perfectly safe to be around and unwaveringly obedient to Ainz-sama… I just can't relax around these things. Especially when I'm alone with one.

Before I can dwell on my uneasiness any longer, the room's door swings open, slamming into the adjacent wall jarringly.

I nearly leap out of my chair.

"Enri-sama!" A burly goblin with a goatee cries out, momentarily cowering at the sight of the Death Knight unsheathing its blade.

I raise my hands in a panic and the Death Knight quickly lowers its weapon. The goblin - Roark - shakes his head to regain his composure. I offer him an apologetic smile.

"The Emperor is within the city walls and is on his way here. Are you prepared to meet with him, Enri-sama?"

"Y-yes, send him in as soon as he gets here. Thank you Roark".

"Hai! Excuse me then!" He responds with a bow before turning around and leaving, closing the door behind him.

I sink into my chair, my heart beating a mile a minute.

The death knight is as stoic as ever. Perhaps that's the benefit of not having a brain?

Lucky him…

I tap the armrest of my chair impatiently. I just wanna get this over with already!

...

Another five minutes or so pass before the door swings open once again.

I swallow the thick lump of saliva that had coagulated at the back of my throat.

"Enri-sama!" Roark cries out: "Now presenting Jircniv dono, ex-ruler of the Baharuth empire and current vassal of the Sorcerer King, and his aide Lenora!" He announces with a dutiful bow.

He pushes the door aside and steps to the side, head still lowered in my direction, to reveal a figure.

A knight decked out in glittering full plate armor. Its pure, almost divine silver sheen is very unlike the Baharuth Empire's soldiers' typical attire.

Overall it's… a little over the top, honestly.

This is Lenora? She's very tall for a woman… almost as tall as Ainz-sama, I reckon.

My eyes are then immediately drawn to the figure's waist: where a shortsword is stashed inside an ornate sheathe decorated with gold paisleys. The sword's hilt is gilded with a yellow-green gem, which I recognize to be a Volt Stone. I've seen them around Nphi's labs before, and they contain the power of lightning. Though I've never seen one so large or brilliant before. I can only assume that the sword is magical in nature.

Could it be that this person's armor is magical as well? That would explain its blinding shimmer...

As I ponder the imposing figure before me, she suddenly assumes a blatantly combative stance.

Just from the tilt of her helmet, it's clear that she's eyeing my undead guardian with contempt.

Her gloved hand hovers precariously close to her sword's gem-adorned handle.

"gRRahhh!" Comes the discordant bellow of the Death Knight, sensing the newcomer's hostile disposition.

_Shhhving!_

It draws its crude blade and levels it towards the silver warrior.

My heart lurches as I watch Lenora seize the sword's hilt in a firm grip: the Volt Stone lets off a mesmerizing glow in response to her touch, and the gold patterns along the sheath's surface glow blue for a brief moment. There's no doubt about it, that sword is imbued with powerful magic.

The two stare each other down, electrifying the air with a palpable hostility.

-!

Suddenly, the Death Knight takes a step forward and plants its massive shield in front of me.

"Grrrrrrr!" It lets out a guttural growl.

I glance in astonishment between my looming guarding and the immovable shield blocking my view.

Is it… protecting me?

Normally, a Death Knight will immediately charge forward in a frenzy upon perceiving an enemy, choosing to live by the adage 'the best defense is a good offense'.

But now… it's actually taking the time to size its opponent up? Is it… hesitating?

If that's the case, then this Lenora must be very powerful.

I regard the warrior with newfound curiosity.

"Lenora, that's enough" calls a dry voice from behind her, cutting through the escalating animosity.

A bare hand donning many rings lands on the woman's shoulder and she immediately sheathes her weapon while straightening her posture.

"Forgive me, Jircniv-sama" comes an apology from underneath the silver helmet.

Though it was a bit muffled and tinny, the fruity voice conveyed a resolute confidence.

The death knight maintains its apprehensive posture.

"Please, you'll have to forgive my subordinate. She is a paladin you see, and becomes rather antsy when faced with the undead".

Lenora steps to the side to reveal the speaker. My eyes widen.

A man with golden hair, sporting a golden circlet.

Expensive looking black and red clothing.

The Blood emperor.

I've heard many things about him - his notoriety has reached the ears of just about every sentient creature on the continent.

I had heard he was cunning, manipulative, and discouragingly intelligent.

That he was as handsome as he is polite - that is to say, very.

A true natural born leader with a confident demeanor.

Which is why, now, I can't stop myself from gawking.

How can I reconcile my preconception with what stands before me now?

This man resembles nothing like the infamous ruler I had heard so much about. He looks utterly exhausted, with void-like sunken eyes that droop with pitch-black circles. His cheeks are gaunt, and the flesh looks as though it had been pulled taut over his now pronounced cheekbones.

His blond hair is tousled and unkempt, sprouting out from beneath his crown like weeds.

In his weary gaze, there is no suggestion of intelligence.

This… is the blood emperor?

"Ah, so you are Enri… I am very pleased to finally meet you" He declares with a polite dip of his head before his pale lips furl into a smile.

"Please, you will forgive my subordinate, won't you?" He asks again.

I blink dazedly, still recoiling from his jarring appearance. What happened to him? Putting that aside for now - where are my manners?!

"Of course, d-don't worry about it Jircniv-dono! I should've been the one to reign in my subordinate first" I mutter embarrasedly, realizing that if Jircniv hadn't said anything, the situation likely would've escalated even further.

The emperor smiles tiredly.

"Thank you for your understanding. And please, drop the honorifics, I do not deserve such respect anymore" He clarifies despondently. Before I can reply, he motions toward the chair opposite to me:

"May I?"

"O-of course, forgive my lack of manners, please, have a seat!" I sputter, feeling my cheeks burn up.

Snap out of it Enri, jeez! So he's a little different than how you envisioned him… okay, a lot different… he's still an emperor!

"Thank you" He says with a nod.

He slowly takes a stride forward, paying no heed to the death knight standing just a few feet away from him.

Lenora, on the other hand, approaches the table much more gingerly, keeping her eyes glued to the undead soldier reproachfully. She stands dutifully behind Jircniv's chair.

"W-what brings you to Carne Village, Jircniv-dono?" I ask quietly, realizing after the fact that I had forgotten to omit the -dono as he had requested. It just doesn't feel right otherwise.

He smiles wistfully.

"Ah, I just thought I'd introduce myself to a fellow vassal of the Sorcerer Kingdom. I was also interested in seeing the astounding growth of little Carne Village with my own eyes… it's very impressive. Such exponential growth could only occur under the rule of a truly gifted leader" he compliments, and I shift uncomfortably under his admiring gaze.

"A-ah, thank you… but I've barely done anything. It's all thanks to Ainz Ooal Gown-sama and the cumulative efforts of everybody living here" I explain.

"Ainz-Ooal Gown, is it…" He muses bitterly with a deep frown, as though the name had left an unpleasant aftertaste after rolling off his tongue.

An uncomfortable silence falls over the room as the name of our sovereign lingers loftily in the air.

I had never really considered it, but It makes sense for Jircniv to not be particularly fond of him - from emperor to vassal is a rather significant demotion.

The death knight at my side shudders agitatedly, as does the female paladin in retaliation.

I feel my throat tighten anxiously.

But then, as quickly as it had appeared, Jircniv's bitter expression melts away.

"Forgive me… it's not that I loathe the great Ainz Ooal Gown, necessarily… in fact, I rather envy him, ahaha..." he confesses with a neutral expression and a tired chuckle.

"I-I see…" I reply, unsure exactly of what to say.

"But" he continues: " I would be lying if I said Gown-dono did not complicate my life… the Baharuth empire is consumed with political unrest and hatred towards me, for willingly surrendering the country to an undead. It's why I had to travel with such a large entourage to your city, Enri, because if I am not surrounded by allies, it won't be long before I'm surrounded by enemies" he reasons with a sigh.

Then, before I can respond, his eyes suddenly take on a frightening intensity.

I gulp, silenced by the stifling eyes of a madman, and my breath hitches.

"If only everyone of the Baharuth Empire could've SEEN what I saw… Ainz Ooal Gown's limitless power and authority… it's absurd!" He cries out deliriously, clutching at his head woefully.

He stares at me from between his fingers with a wild, almost feral expression.

"You've seen it, haven't you Enri? The Sorcerer King's unfathomable power! Isn't it unreal, Enri, how such an existence could ever be allowed on the mortal realm?! What was I to do?! What COULD I have possibly done, other than capitulate immediately!"

"J-jircniv-dono…" I stammer.

"And now I've lost everything! Everything I worked for, the dastardly things I did that earned me the title of Blood Emperor - all for nothing! All gone, taken from me by Death himself!"

_Wham!_

He slams his fist angrily upon the table.

The armored skeleton beside me convulses restlessly in response to Jircniv's action.

It was enough for the death knight to label him as a threat to me.

"Groooo!" It unleashes a discordant roar while lifting its twisted blade high above its head.

A moment later, the enormous weapon whistles past my head with terrifying speed towards the defenseless emperor.

I close my eyes in anticipation for the sickening sound of flesh being torn to shreds.

But then, a flash of aureate light penetrates my eyelids.

_Shing!_

The paladin draws her sparkling blade with lightning speed.

_CLANG!_

The two blurs of metal collide with one another, sending a spray of turquoise sparks to shower over the table.

Had the silver paladin not drawn her blade so skillfully, Jircniv's body would've been sliced crudely into two pieces.

_Thunk thunk!_

The death knight staggers back.

The holy knight and her crackling blade didn't budge from the impact. Blue electricity dances captivatingly across the silver blade's surface in sporadic arcs.

She easily blocked a death knight?!

In contrast to my disbelief, Jircniv is completely unfazed. He neglects to even shoot a glance over his shoulder, despite having just been a hairbreadth away from death.

His lunatical eyes continue to bore into me.

"Well Enri, what say you?! You've built up a powerful city now: I can tell those goblins are something special! A-a-and all these undead servants are completely loyal to you now, right? Then… yes! Let's combine forces. You recognize Lenora's strength, don't you?! We can defeat the Sorcerer King and put an end to this cruel joke that God is playing on us! What say you, Enri?!" He rambles insanely, leaning closer towards me with each sentence.

A deranged grin is plastered onto his face.

I have no words.

The Baharuth empire's messenger's sarcastic comment comes back to mind.

'We have no ill intentions… only intentions fueled by illness'.

He's gone completely mad!

The death knight bellows angrily once again and lunges forward like a charging grizzling.

_Ka-clang!_

With an effortless flick of her wrist, the holy warrior easily parries the wild strike again, sending the Death knight back several meters.

After regaining its balance, it convulses disjointedly on the spot for a moment before raising its horned head to reveal its eyes: its faint red irises tremble violently within their sockets with unbridled rage.

"What say you, Enri?!" Jircniv spits out again, spewing frothy saliva into the air.

I recoil back in my seat, head turning wildly from side to side, shifting my gaze between the Death Knight and Jircniv.

"You see, Lenora… she's gifted! She can stand up to that monster, I know it! I know it! If she doesn't - if WE don't kill Ainz-Ooal Gown, then humanity will fall! Of that I am absolutely certain!"

I feel a surge of adrenaline course through my chest while my throat clenches dryly. My vocal cords swell in preparation to speak, and my heart is racing as though it could explode at any second. My body is seized by that nervous tension one might experience right as they prepare to throw a punch at someone.

Despite my fear of Jircniv's volatility, I can't just sit back and let him express such bitter dissent towards Ainz-sama.

Finally, clenching my eyes shut, I force my mouth open:

"Jircniv-dono! I have entertained your mumblings for long enough! Ainz-sama is no monster! He is a benevolent gentleman who single handedly saved my life and everything that I cherish most! And if you expect me to betray that kindness on the whim of your own selfish arrogance, then think again!" I cry out through tear-blurred eyes.

"Benevolent?! HIM?! He's a damned undead! Conniving though he may be, he's incapable of being nice! It's all an illusion! He's deceiving you, just as he tricked me and insidiously took over my entire kingdom! He stared me dead in the eyes with a smile as he ripped the rug right out from under my feet! He's the Devil incarnate!" the young emperor seethes. He glares at me with wide, bloodshot eyes, trembling in their sockets. My confidence sublimates, and fear quickly takes hold of my heart.

"Jircniv-dono, p-please… c-calm down" I stutter.

"I AM PERFECTLY CALM!" He screeches, standing up abruptly. His chair clatters noisily to the ground.

"Grooooooooah!" the death knight bellows mightily with a swing of its sword.

The rippled sword flashes towards Jircniv's neck.

_Shlink!_

My eyes widen in horror as the sword finds its mark.

-!

"W...what?" I stammer incredulously.

…

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Mmm. Mmhm. Ah, I see. Yes, that should work..." I whisper to myself 'thoughtfully' while pretending to busy myself with a stack of papers on my desk. The document currently in my hands is one of Demiurge's update reports. I scan it quickly with unregistering eyes and fight off the urge to sigh. I think it pertains to his interspecies breeding experiments? Nevertheless, I must appear deep in thought and preserve my status as the Supreme One, or at least what's left of it, after this morning's fiasco…

After a great deal of explaining and pleading on my part, Lupusregina and I finally managed to assuage Albedo's wrath: though it was only until I bowed my own head entreatingly that she finally, albeit reluctantly, promised to spare Lupusregina's life. My relief was second only to the wolf maid's, though it was short lived, as Albedo excused herself, undoubtedly to cool off.

Leaving Lupusregina and I alone.

Needless to say, things have been… uncomfortable. Even just transitioning from the throne room to my office, with Lupusregina in tow, was painfully awkward.

Neither of us have said a word to each other since I sat down, silenced by this awkward tension derived from the 'she saw me naked' and 'I saw him naked' thoughts swirling through our heads. I mean, is there any way a boss and his employee can interact organically with one another like nothing ever happened with such a humongous elephant in the room?!

Hell, even the eight-edge assassins, I've noticed, have been wriggling anxiously along the ceiling.

I shoot a quick glance from the corner of my eye to the woman standing dutifully a few feet to my right.

Immediately, she flinches as though my gaze had carried an electric shock. She snaps to attention, tearing her gaze away from the floor.

'W-what is it, Ainz-sama?" She asks with wide yellow eyes.

Our eyes meet for the briefest of moments before we both redirect our gazes literally anywhere else.

"N-nothing!" I assure a bit too loudly.

I cough into my hand and feign interest in the paper laid in front of me.

Uwahhh, this is the absolute worst! Please, dear God, can something - anything - just come knocking on my door right now and save me from this!

_Knock Knock!_

In answer to my prayer, a loud, almost frantic knock drums against the door.

I feel my eyes moisten ever so slightly.

There really is a God!

"I-I'll get it!" Lupusregina cries out forcefully and rushes to get the door.

I guess I wasn't the only one in need of a lifeline…

She opens it up just enough to poke her head through.

"W-wah!" She cries out, jumping to the side as the door is suddenly pushed open against her. A shadow demon promptly scurries through.

Slinking along the ground, the incarnation of darkness immediately seeks me out and melds into my shadow.

"Hey, what's the big idea!" Lupusregina shouts at the intruder angrily.

Normally, as a Supreme Ruler, I'd feel obligated to chastise the shadow demon for barging in so rudely like that, but frankly, I'm too grateful towards it for disturbing the stagnated atmosphere.

Despite its apparent rudeness for forcing its way in like that, it says nothing, and patiently awaits for me to address it. Though, from the way my shadow is trembling and flickering across the ground, I can tell it's anxious to speak. Perhaps it's something serious?

"What is it, shadow demon? Do you have something to report?" I ask calmly.

"Yessss Ainz-samaaa!" it responds in a gravelly hiss:

"Assss per your order, Ainz-ssssama, I have come to you immediately in order to report the appearanccccce of a threatening enemy" it declares ominously.

I squint my eyes skeptically.

"Hmm? Are you sure?" I hum dubiously.

"Yesssss" it responds confidently, oblivious to my doubtful inflection..

"Where? And who is it?" I press halfheartedly, leaning against my chair's armrest to peer down at my shady subordinate.

I know that since Shalltear's brainwashing incident, I've told my subordinates to be weary of any and all potential threats, and to always choose 'flight' over 'fight'. But honestly… I'm not in the mood right now to be dealing with such neurotic antics. Surely, whatever the shadow demon saw, it must only be a 'threat' by New World standards.

If that's the case, so help me God, I might just lose it.

"A sssssilver knight, a high ranking paladin, who hasssss accompanied Jircniv to Carne village as his commander. Her name isssss Lenora" it reports succinctly.

"Eh!?" Lupusregina gasps at the mention of the town she's been tasked with overseeing.

I arch an eyebrow curiously. Ironically, the mention of Carne village is the only thing that doesn't concern me.

A paladin within the Baharuth Empire? Of course, I would not give it a second thought if she were an adventurer, but… aside from the Slane Theocracy and Holy Kingdom, I did not think other country's militaries housed paladins among their ranks.

And Lenora… what a peculiar name. Its phonetics certainly doesn't correspond with this continent's tongue.

Actually, isn't there a 'Pokemon' gym leader with the same name? A wave of nostalgia rushes through me as I vaguely remember playing the remastered version of a game from a series that was apparently very popular in my great grandfather's era. It was fun, but definitely a little… simple, I suppose. The archaic graphics would certainly make it unplayable for me now, but I was not so pretentious as a seven year old boy. Ah, what am I doing thinking about something so trivial at a time like this?

I shake my head. Meanwhile, Lupusregina has made her way back to my side with a tense expression.

As she leans over my desk to glower at the shadow demon, her chest jiggles wildly in front of my face.

Nearly choking on my own spit in surprise, I quickly cough into my hand.

"Is anyone important in danger?!" She asks, fortunately paying no heed to my coughing fit.

"Perhapssss the young village chief" the demon confirms nonchalantly.

"Enri?!" Lupusregina exclaims in a surprisingly worried tone.

She turns to me with a determined expression, causing my heart to skip a beat.

"Ainz-sama! Please, open a gate for me to Carne village's centre!" She entreats, dipping her head in my direction.

Is she really that concerned for Enri's safety? It's hard to imagine Lupusregina getting attached to someone outside of Nazarick, much less a human girl. But maybe after spending so much time in Carne village, forming a bond of some sort with the village chief was inevitable? And as Cocytus has proven, the NPC's are capable of changing in this new world… maybe Lupusregina has become more empathic? My heart tingles warmly at the prospect.

But no, that's not it.

As much as I'd like to see such growth within the NPC's of Nazarick, I know that isn't the case here.

Examining her tanned expression more closely, her features reflect less of a righteous empathy, and more of a self-centered determination.

With just a touch of fear.

She's not actually concerned for Enri. She's just worried about letting her die, after I've labelled her as an important asset.

I purse my lips. How silly of me to have even entertained the idea that Lupusregina, or any NPC for that matter, could learn to value human life.

As if. Humans are garbage.

Pitiful.

Weak.

Why would anyone care about such an insignificant creature?

I sigh shallowly as a dull pain wracks my chest.

"Ainz-sama?" Lupusregina asks hesitantly.

I take a deep breath and straighten my back, assuming a regal posture. And with that movement, Suzuki Satoru is effectively forced into the backseat once again.

"No, Lupusregina. Do not be hasty. We have yet to ascertain the strength of our opponent" the Overlord chastises.

Lupusregina's eyes widen and she immediately drops to one knee.

"O-of course! Forgive my stupidity!"

"You are forgiven. I fully understand that you are just concerned about failing me"

She looks up at me with blatant surprise. I flash a knowing smile, and her face turns beat red in embarrassment.

Seems I hit the nail right on the head.

"R-right…" she trails off timidly.

"Now then… let us see what exactly we're dealing with. Lupusregina, please step back" I order, stretching my hand out.

A shining blue glyph appears before my open palm an instant later.

Lupusregina stands up and takes a step back.

The spell I'm about to cast is [Undeath Slave Sight], which allows me to see through the eyes of an undead summon. It's one of the most valuable reconnaissance tools for a necromancer, because unlike with [seeing eye] or most other surveillance spells, there is absolutely no opportunity for the opponent to counter-surveil or trace back the location of the spellcaster.

In Yggdrasil, this spell would just open up a window in the corner of the screen, displaying the perspective of a targeted summon. But in the New world, there is no window - my perspective fully becomes that of my summon's: so it feels much more intimate, in a sense, and takes a great deal more concentration now than it did in the game.

Ah, but first…

I reach into my pocket dimension with my other hand, and after briefly perusing my inventory, withdraw a scroll.

"[Deepen Mana Intertwine]!" I cry out and toss the roll of paper into the air.

It unfurls in midair, and, almost like a snake, coils around my outstretched hand. It glows white for a moment before spontaneously combusting in an innocuous blue flame. After it disintegrates fully, only the glyph remains, scintillating more powerfully than before.

Lupusregina watches on unblinkingly, lips slightly parted in awe.

The scroll that I just used contains a spell that is highly coveted by necromancers. [Deepen Mana Intertwine] buffs [Undeath Slave sight] in a way that permits the spellcaster more control over their summon than simply being able to see through their perspective. More specifically, it allows the caster to effectively transport a significant portion - up to 80% - of their mana pool and spells into the vessel they are possessing. Ideally, this scroll, in tandem with [USS], would be used when a necromancer wishes to link with a powerful level 90+ summon. Obviously, since any dedicated mage class character - including myself - is much more fragile and less agile compared to other classes, having the opportunity to transport yourself into a much sturdier, stronger body whilst still retaining your magical powers is a monumental advantage. Perhaps even more beneficial though, is the simple fact that there is no threat to the spellcaster's life. Should the summon you are possessing perish, you'll simply be transported back to your own body with no HP loss.

Unfortunately, [Deepen Mana Intertwine] is a limited resource, as it can't be invoked without the use of a scroll, available only through the cash gacha.

Naturally, given their value, I'm well-stocked on them.

"[Undeath Slave Sight]!" I cry, and the circular glyph before my hand begins to spin rapidly, indicating the successful connection between me and the death knight.

My vision darkens for a moment, accompanied by a distinct sense of weightlessness.

My mind tingles numbly.

Lupusregina and all of Nazarick slowly elude my senses as I dissociate from my own body.

And then, a flicker of light, and a sudden lurch as if I had come to an abrupt stop after free falling for a long time. I can 'feel' the death knight, this foreign body, gradually becoming more familiar by the second.

"Ji- … -ease!" snippets of a distressed voice ring out through the darkness.

I concentrate, like trying to tune into the right radio frequency.

Finally, I open my eyes. A passenger to the death knight's body, I slowly orient myself to my new surroundings as the room comes into focus.

My mind is inundated with new information.

Enri, fearfully cowering in her seat.

Across from her, Jircniv - jesus, he's seen better days - is standing upright with a disconcerting grin plastered onto his face.

And finally…

"Gruuuuoah!" Comes a thunderous roar from 'my' own mouth.

I turn my gaze towards the direction of the screech.

Hmm?

An imposing warrior, clad in silver armor, is facing off against the death knight.

Undoubtedly, this must be the paladin the shadow demon was talking about.

The armor, sparkling immaculately, is a fine piece of equipment - much better quality than any other I've seen since coming to the New World. Her sword as well, cloaked in magical electricity with an eye-catchingly beautiful jewel, also appears to be an exceptional weapon.

Perhaps even by Yggdrasil standards.

A chill runs down my proverbial spine at that realization. Just who is this person? Another 'God-kin' like Zesshi, who possesses equipment from past players? That's the most likely explanation. If that's the case, she is certainly worth being wary of…

Ahhhh I wish I could appraise that sword right now! But alas, unless she were suddenly willing to hand it over to the death knight, I can't.

I can, however, do what I originally came here to do.

Suppressing my inner collector, I squint my 'eyes' discerningly at the paladin and chant:

"[Discern Enemy]"

My words reverberate hollowly through the death knight's head.

A moment later, a popup displaying all of Lenora's stats fill my vision.

-!

This is..!

I stare dumbfoundedly at the stats before me.

Could it be..?

Could she be..?

Beyond the translucent stat window, I vaguely register the death knight swing its sword downwards towards the opponent.

"Graaaaaaaaah!"

But Lenora springs into action.

A bright light and a crackling arc blind my vision.

And the world around me crumbles away.


	14. Chapter 14

**In The Flesh**

**A/N: Blah blah [insert obligatory excuse here] blah blah school blah blah work blah blah**

**I feel like any words wasted on offering excuses would just be insulting to you at this point so I won't bother XD.**

**Just enjoy this ~9000 word chapter, ok? :p**

**Chapter 14: **

**"Ready Player Two"**

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

A blinding white flash, followed by complete darkness.

For what feels like an eternity, I am nothing more than a metaphysical consciousness.

Finally, I feel a tug anchor me 'down' in this orientation-less dimension.

…

"Pahhhh!" I inhale sharply and clutch at my chest.

Though my surroundings seem discombobulatingly bright, I can manage to make out just enough details to confirm that I'm back in my office at Nazarick.

_Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Ba-dump!_

I can feel my heart drum chaotically through my sweaty palms. I close my eyes and draw in a deep breath, allowing my senses to reacclimate to reality.

"Ainz-sama!" A distressed voice calls out from my side.

I open my eyes and a tanned face fills my vision.

"I… I'm fine," I assure between ragged breaths, offering a weak smile.

Lupusregina's expression softens immediately, though a hint of skepticism still remains. Her eyes narrow curiously a moment later.

"So what did you see through your thingy? Is everything alright?" she asks.

"I'm not sure..." I reply uncertainly while rubbing at my temples tiredly, recalling the last thing I saw:

the silver paladin, swinging her blade with such practiced speed, finesse, and power.

It goes without saying, the death knight was defeated. No, to say it was defeated is an understatement… it was utterly annihilated by a single attack.

"It would seem this newcomer's strength cannot be underestimated. She defeated my death knight with ease," I explain.

The Pleiade's eyes narrow discerningly while her lips curl into a mischievous smile:

"Soooo what now then, Ainz-sama? Shall I go and defeat her myself?" She suggests smugly, pointing her thumb into her chest for emphasis.

I look her dead in the eyes and smile apologetically:

"Unfortunately, that wouldn't be possible. She's far too powerful, even for you," I explain candidly.

"Wah! S-seriously..?" The coffee-colored maid gasps incredulously, her face blanching:

"T-then... would you like to assemble the guardians, Ainz-sama? Perhaps it would be best then to swiftly destroy this foe before they have a chance to pose a serious problem," she suggests anxiously.

I shake my head absent-mindedly, too lost in thought to verbalize a response.

I swallow the uneasy lump forming in my throat, sending it down towards the restless butterflies flitting about in my stomach.

Is it too good to be true?

Could she actually be… a player?

But the more I think about it, the more my heart races with eager certainty. She has to be! There's simply no way someone from the New World could have stats like what I saw!

In the few seconds that they were presented to me, I successfully burned every single detail into my memory:

**LENORA**

**THE ANGEL SERVING AS GOD'S RIGHT HAND**

**Job**:?

**Residence**:?

**Alignment**: Extremely Good **Sense of Justice**: 400

**Racial Level**:

Angel 15 Lvl

Archangel 10 Lvl

Seraph 5 Lvl

(Others)

**Job Level**:

Divine Knight 10 Lvl

Holy Paladin 10 Lvl

Heaven's Champion 10 Lvl

Sovereign of Light 5 Lvl

(Others)

**[Racial Levels]** \+ **[Job levels]** = 100 total levels

Status: **ABILITY CHART**

**HP **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII(93)

**MP **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (65)

**PHYS ATK **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (105)

**PHYS DEF **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (92)

**AGILITY** IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII(95)

**MAGIC ATK **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (80)

**MAGIC DEF **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (80)

**RESIST** IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (73)

**SPECIAL **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII (100)

Her raw stats are staggering, to say the least. Admittedly, I would stand no chance against her in a 1v1: putting aside her natural affinity for holy magic, it would be impossible for me to keep up with her overwhelming agility and physical attack power. Her stats are comparable even to lord Touch Me's - and while she may not quite be on the same level as the world champion himself, she's a cut above the majority of level 100 players. Indeed her stats alone are almost enough to convince me she's a player.

Almost.

There are a few red flags that suggest the contrary. Namely, her lack of guild affiliation, job, or residence. For example, if someone were to cast [discern enemy] on me successfully, they would see my affiliation with Ainz Ooal Gown, my corresponding job as 'guild leader', and my residence as 'The Underground Tomb of Nazarick', all listed under my name. The only thing that could explain the absence of these details would be if Lenora was a lone-wolf vagabond in Yggdrasil - which is, quite frankly, unfathomable, because you could honestly just about count the number of max-level solo players on any given server on one hand. Plus, such powerful solo players, given their rarity and intrigue, often quickly gained notoriety and became the focal point of many online discussions; so I feel that I would've read something on an online forum or something about this 'silver paladin'.

Another thing that troubles me is the fact that she is currently serving under Jircniv. Why? It just doesn't make sense, whether she's a player or a New World variable. Her being a level 100 angel suggests she should have absolutely no connection to the Baharuth Empire. And why would she, a vastly superior entity, willingly serve him?

Perhaps even more importantly, where has she been all this time? The fact that we haven't noticed such a powerful being until now despite all the ruckus we've been causing implies she's only just arrived in this world.

As much as I'd like for her to be a player, I need to stay level-headed. To discount any possibility and rush into the situation blindly would be foolish. What if she's the equivalent of a 'Raid Boss' or 'World Enemy' in the new world? A 'raid boss' being a particularly powerful monster that appears at the end of dungeons or during special events, requiring many high-level players with impeccable coordination to defeat, and a 'world enemy' being a creature even more powerful than that. I would imagine that the equivalent of such a being in the New World would be approximately that of a stronger-than-average level 100 player. Perhaps she's only recently appeared in this world because, like certain world enemies or raid bosses in Yggdrasil, she only spawned once a certain condition was met or a specific 'questline' was triggered... if such a thing even exists.

Or, hell, what if the stats I witnessed were completely fabricated through the use of [false data] or a similar spell?

I scratch the back of my head worriedly. There's just too much I don't know about her, or this world.

But there's only one way to find out.

Despite my forced cynicism, a large part of me is bubbling with excitement at the prospect of having another player around: someone with whom I can be myself around, on equal footing. When was the last time I had the luxury of being Suzuki Satoru in the presence of anyone else?

Suppressing the uncharacteristic enthusiasm from creeping into my voice, I turn to the patiently-awaiting Pleiade:

"Lupusregina" I address in a booming voice. She dips her head towards me, a courteous response despite her nervous expression.

"What is your command, Ainz-sama?"

"Go and fetch the guardians. Bring them here immediately, we don't have a moment to spare," I command with a wave of my hand.

"Understood, Ainz-sama".

As the battle maid races out the door, I begin perusing my inventory for potentially useful equipment and trinkets.

...

While waiting for the guardians, I've felt compelled on several occasions to just cast [gate] and boldly leap to Carne village myself, spurred on by the optimistic chattering in my head that confidently whispers that Lenora has to be a player and I have nothing to worry about. It feels like an eternity has passed, even though it hasn't even been five minutes since the shadow demon first crept into my room!

Luckily though, Ainz is able to restrain Suzuki's reckless urges just long enough for the guardians to arrive.

Now, I gaze down at the seven prostrating individuals before me, impatiently listening to their declaration of devotion.

"Rise," I command hastily, pacing back and forth in front of them.

"Is everything alright, Ainz-sama?" Albedo queries, watching my agitated movement with curious eyes.

I stop in my tracks and sweep my gaze over the guardians, making eye contact with each one.

"I will get straight to the point, so listen carefully. Time is of the essence," I begin. The guardians all lean forward attentively, statue-still. Even the sound of Cocytus' consistent expulsions has ceased.

"In Carne village, a new potential enemy has made an appearance, far more powerful than any other entity we've encountered thus far," I declare in a grave tone.

"By entity, do you mean a single creature?" Demiurge asks.

I nod my head.

"Yes. A silver paladin, named Lenora: a level 100 angel, to be exact." I summarize: "I was able to see her stats firsthand through the use of [Undeath Slave sight]: they're comparable to lord Touch-Me's," I quickly add for emphasis.

A chorus of gasps breaks out among the guardians. Shalltear grimaces, perhaps at the idea of a holy warrior more powerful than herself. The dark elf twins' bear confused expressions, and Cocytus has begun fidgeting agitatedly in his spot, expelling a long-winded cone of frost: it seems as though he's itching for a fight. Albedo, surprisingly, displays not even the slightest reaction.

Weird.

It isn't long before I find my gaze - and all the other guardians', for that matter - lingering on Sebas, searching for a reaction at the mention of his creator. A look of shock briefly crosses his wizened visage, and his typically-narrowed eyes widen for the fleetest of moments - until he feels everyone's eyes on him, at which point he quickly reclaims his stoic predisposition, adjusting the collar of his suit self-consciously.

"That… is a bit surprising, Ainz-sama," he confesses in a measured tone.

"Indeed. To. Think. That. Such. A. Being. Could. Exist. In. This. World!" Cocytus bellows, his mandibles clicking... excitedly?

"U-um… T-touch Me-sama was very powerful, wasn't he?" the dark-elf druid chimes in quietly.

_Bonk!_

Aura slams her closed fist down on the top of Mare's head.

"O-ow, what was that for sis..?" Mare stammers in astonishment, clutching at his head with a petulant expression.

"Baaaaaaka!" Aura exclaims, leaning into her brother's face: "Of course he was powerful, he was a Supreme Being!"

"I-I know!" Mare retorts defensively, his eyes widening in a fluster: "I, um, just meant that even among the Supreme Beings, he was one of the strongest r-right?" he explains, preemptively placing his hands protectively over his head while eyeing Aura warily.

The beast tamer simply clicks her tongue in resigned frustration.

"Indeed…" Demiurge muses pensively with a hand on his chin: "Lord Touch Me was objectively the most powerful of all the Supreme Beings, in fact…" he trails off, and a moment later a look of horror crosses his face:

"Ah, forgive me, Ainz-sama! I did not mean-!" he begins to apologize, but I raise a hand to stop him.

"No, you are correct. Touch-Me is even more proficient as a warrior than I am as a magic caster, and that's the truth. He was a truly formidable being, a wonderful friend, and a key pillar to Ainz Ooal Gown since the very beginning," I muse nostalgically, recollecting images of the proud warrior standing before me, flaunting the 'Justice has arrived!' emote he loved to flash.

A melancholic silence befalls the room as the guardians nod their heads in bitter-sweet agreement.

I shake my head. Now is not the time for this. I need to get to the point.

"That's enough reminiscing. The good news is, this Lenora may not be an enemy," I announce bluntly.

Looks of confusion cross the guardians' faces.

"Then… an ally? Do you know her, Ainz-sama?" Albedo guesses with a strangely troubled voice.

"No, not quite," I reply, shaking my head: "but…"

_Swiiish!_

All eyes turn to the orange-suited demon, whose tail had just raked across the floor.

He takes a moment to push his glasses closer to his eyes.

"You mean to say, Ainz-sama, that she might be someone who was transported here from Yggdrasil like we were, correct?" he offers.

I smile knowingly. What a showoff.

"As expected Demiurge, you seem to have grasped the situation".

I think that's the first time I've ever said that unironically.

"Really? After all this time-arinsu?" Shalltear asks dubiously, tapping a pale finger against her cheek.

"Well, I suppose it would make sense, given her uncharacteristically high level. Besides, as the history of this world suggests, beings from Yggdrasil were transported here and scattered across the timeline. It could be that she's only just arrived," Albedo points out.

While demiurge nods his head as though that consideration was obvious, my own eyes widen in shock. That's right! If she was from Yggdrasil, then, of course, she likely wouldn't have popped into existence at the exact same time as us, seeing as how different groups of players seem to have existed in this New World over the course of many centuries! I suppose we're actually lucky that her time in the New World just happens to coincide with our own at all!

I nod my head knowingly as well just like Demiurge, trying desperately to conceal my growing excitement. Ahhhh Albedo you have no idea how hopeful you've made me!

With great difficulty, I manage to keep my emotions under wrap and quickly cough into my hand:

"Ahem, indeed, she could very well be from Yggdrasil... though I am not certain of it, and the potential of her being a New World variable still exists" I say, more as a warning to myself than to the guardians.

The room falls into contemplative silence for the second time today, until the fifth-floor guardian finally breaks the ice:

"So. What. Do. You. Propose. We. Do. Ainz-Sama?" Cocytus huffs in low voice.

All the guardians earnestly look my way.

"There is only one thing we can do. Albedo, Sebas, and Cocytus," I begin confidently.

"Hai!" The three who were called out reply, bowing their heads.

"The three of you are to accompany me to Carne village immediately, to ascertain this newcomer's position and dispose of her if necessary. I will be counting on you to protect me should the need arise" I explain.

The insect warrior, succubus, and butler all nod their heads determinedly.

"Now h-hold on!" Shalltear exclaims: "if this paladin is as powerful as you say, why don't we all go?!"

Just as my mind begins racing for a believable excuse, a heavy sigh escapes the 7th-floor guardian's lips:

"Please, Shalltear, use your head for once. Neither you or I would be a good match for an exceptional holy-magic warrior. Aura simply would not be able to keep up with such a high-level opponent without a pack of beasts at her disposal, and Mare wouldn't be able to make herself useful in any capacity without levelling all of Carne village. On top of that, in the event that this angel is an ally, convincing it of our peaceful intentions would be difficult due to the tension that would inevitably be generated if all the guardians were to accompany Ainz-sama," he explains succinctly.

Shalltear, Mare, and Aura all scratch their heads in embarrassment.

"Ehehe…" the dark elf twins chuckle nervously.

"That being said…" Demiurge continues with a grave frown: "I would like to just say, I am averse to the idea of Ainz-sama confronting this Lenora. It seems like an unnecessary risk. Ainz-sama, perhaps you should stay behind and leave things to the guardians," he suggests.

A few of the guardians nod their heads uneasily.

I resolutely shake my head.

"Absolutely not. Forgive me, but for a similarly selfish reason as to when I insisted on facing Shalltear alone, I must confront her," I rebuke plainly.

That, and the fact that I can't exactly trust the guardians to properly handle meeting a player, for obvious reasons.

"As I expected…" Demiurge retorts with a tinge of bitterness.

_Fshhhhhhhh!_

"Do. Not. Worry. Demiurge. I. Will. Not. Allow. Anything. To. Happen. To. Ainz. Sama" Cocytus reassures everyone in a voice overflowing with confidence, pounding on his chest with a closed fist. Demiurge tilts his head dubiously to the side, his frown as deep as before.

Sebas strokes his chin thoughtfully:

"Indeed. Rest assured Demiurge, I swear on my life that nothing shall befall the Supreme One during this excursion," he vows with a dutiful bow.

"Well, that goes without saying. A guardian who cannot protect the Supreme One is undeserving of life, after all," Albedo concurs, directing a loving smirk my way.

I nod my head.

"And there you have it, Demiurge," I say with a smile.

Sebas, Albedo, and Cocytus all boast the best defensive capabilities among all the guardians. With them at the vanguard, my safety should be assured. And if I were to create summons as well, there's no way a single opponent - not even Touch Me-san or Rubedo - would be able to break through to me.

Demiurge says nothing, only purses his lips in begrudging concession. With that brief debacle out of the way, the non-participating floor guardians offer me their assurances of being ready in a moment's notice if needed, and wish us good luck before exiting the throne room.

"Oh Ainz-sam, I lament not being able to stay by your side and protect your exquisite form during this outing! Please be careful-arinsu!" Shalltear coos dramatically, shooting a quick scowl at Albedo before departing.

"Ainz-sama! I'll prepare my strongest beasts in the meantime, so if worse comes to worst and you need extra assistance, just send me a message and I'll be there in a jiffy!" Aura beams with a grin.

"M-me too! S-stay safe in the meantime..." Mare squeaks out, clutching his staff tightly to his body.

While exiting the door, I see Aura elbow Mare in the ribs:

"Mare, you better not go and take your usual afternoon nap today! I swear if Ainz-sama calls on us and we get there too late because you were catching some Z's I'm gonna flip!"

"I-I won't! I'm not even ~yaaawn~ tired!"

...

"Mareeeeeee!"

_Slam!_

Demiurge is the last to leave, and pauses stubbornly in the doorway before slowly shaking his head and closing the door behind him without so much as a word. I feel a little bad about blatantly ignoring all his advice, but it can't be helped this time around.

I turn to my three remaining traveling companions.

"When will the three of you be ready to embark? The sooner the better, and we shall leave as soon as your preparations are complete," I ask.

I've already taken the time, while I was waiting earlier for the guardians to arrive, to equip all the necessary equipment: rings and gauntlets which boost my resistance to holy magic and electricity, as well as a pendant which will absorb any damage that would normally deal greater than 30% of my HP - it's a one-time use item, however, and will crack and shatter after use. Though actually, in hindsight, holy magic should be a non-issue, since I'm no longer undead.

I guess that fact had somehow slipped my mind.

"I can be ready in 30 seconds, Ainz-sama. Excuse me" Albedo says with a bow before teleporting away through the use of the ring of Ainz Ooal Gown - presumably to her chambers.

"What about you two?" I ask with a nod of my head.

_Shhhhhing~_

Opening up a pocket dimension on either side of his body, Coyctus swiftly withdraws his [God Slaying Emperor Blade] katana and the world-class item [Billion blades].

It's a rather plain-looking broadsword with average cutting power, about two and a half feet long, though still of extreme durability befitting of a world-class item. Though its namesake active ability is what truly distinguishes it as a world-class item: once a day, you can greatly enhance the sword's cutting power for a short period of time, and the next time you swing it, the sword will be swung one thousand times in an instant. It would basically be like lord Touch-Me casting [world slash] a thousand times instantaneously. You can essentially liken it to landing a x1000 damage critical hit. So while "billion" is an exaggeration, it's still basically a guaranteed one-shot if you manage to land a hit with it, especially since the one thousand simultaneous slashes negate any resistances to slashing or piercing damage, even if the target would typically boast complete immunity.

While that may sound overpowered, it can be quite difficult to land given the sword's relatively short length and the fact that you need to charge the ability for a few seconds before [billion blades] can activate.

Clutching his trusty halberd, [Decapitation Fang], in his top right hand, [God Saying Emperor Blade] in his top left, and [billion blades] in his bottom right, he looks extremely imposing.

"I. Am. Ready. Whenever. Ainz. Sama." He declares proudly, flexing his four arms.

I nod my head in approval before turning to the aged butler, and a sudden realization hits me:

"And you, Sebas? Would you perhaps like to say a quick goodbye to Tsuare?" I offer.

Sebas shakes his head:

"Thank you for your consideration, but that will not be necessary, Ainz-sama… I expect to see her again very soon. And no, I do not need any time to prepare…" he explains, raising a white-gloved hand and clenching it into a tight fist: "I have everything I need right here," he assures with an eye-crinkling smile, betrayed only by the playful smugness in his voice.

"Aha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Wonderful!" Cocytus bursts into ruckus laughter, slamming his foot into the ground and spewing a light dusting of frost into the air:

"What. A. Fine. Fighting. Spirit. You. Have. Sebas! Why. Have. We. Not. Dueled. Before?" The insect warrior roars heartily.

With a thoughtful hum, Sebas looks to the ceiling for inspiration.

"Hmm… I suppose we haven't because we've never had a reason to," he reasons after a moment of deliberation.

"That. Is. True! But. If. You. Are. Willing. I. Would. Like. The. Opportunity. To. Battle. You. Once. We. Return! A. Contest. Of. Spirit! Monk. Against. Warrior! Ba. Ha. Ha!" Cocytus bellows gleefully.

"Hmm, the spirit of a monk against the spirit of a warrior you say… it has a nice ring to it, I suppose," the butler muses in a somewhat unconvinced tone.

"Doesn't. It?!" Cries the frosty warrior, undeterred by the butler's lack of enthusiasm.

A smile graces my lips as the images of Warrior Takemikazuchi and Touch-Me overlap with their creations - though the positions are reversed, as Touch-Me was always the boisterous one while Takemikazuchi was reserved and pensive. The two of them always had a friendly rivalry of sorts.

"Well, I am certainly not against it, but the decision is ultimately Ainz-sama's," Sebas finally adds in a conclusive tone. The mention of my name draws me back from my thoughts.

Cocytus looks to me hopefully.

"We shall see. Though perhaps we should focus on the task at hand for the time being," I suggest.

"Of. Course! Thank. You. And. Please. Forgive. Me. For. Getting. Carried. Away. In. Front. Of. You. Ainz. Sama!"

Before I can say it's no problem, however-

_Fwip!_

Albedo reappears before us, fully decked out head to toe in her jet-black full-plate armor. From physical appearance alone, it would be difficult to ascertain who is beneath all that metal - the only giveaway being the alluring golden eyes shining through the visor.

I immediately notice she's eschewed Ginunngagap, the world item given to her in secret by Tabula. Though I suppose that makes sense, as it is rather ineffective against single targets in a cramped environment.

"Forgive me, Ainz-sama. I am ready now," she declares in a delicate voice.

"No need to apologize. Then, shall we depart?"

"Hai!" comes the resounding response from both guardians and Sebas.

"Then let us go. And remember, do not provoke this Lenora if it can be helped. If she is from Yggdrasil, it would be better to make an ally out of her than an enemy," I clarify.

All three of them bow their heads in acknowledgment. Satisfied by their response, I extend an open hand:

"[Gate]" I chant, forming another swirling doorway. Just as I am about to step towards it, the glimmering staff of Ainz Ooal Gown catches my attention. Pondering it for a moment, I reluctantly grasp it from its innocuous position hovering beside my desk.

Whether I intend it or not, a fight may be inevitable.

My heart has begun racing with excitement again. I can't believe there might actually be another player, beyond this portal, just a few steps away! I gulp nervously and take my first step forward.

Suddenly, Sebas clears his throat:

"Ahem, pardon me Ainz-sama," he interjects, stopping me in my tracks.

"Hmm? What is it, Sebas? Did you forget something after all?" I question a bit impatiently. He had all that time while Albedo was getting ready and he's only just now realized it after I've spawned such a tantalizing gate?! My heart can't take this!

But my impatience is swiftly dashed-

"No, it's nothing like that Ainz-sama, I am perfectly prepared. Rather, forgive me, but perhaps it would be wise if we guardians were to go through the gate first and assess the initial situation," He suggests calmly.

_Fssssssssssh!_

A chilling blast of air ruffles my robe as Cocytus steps forward as well:

"I. Agree. Let. Us. Go. First. So. We. May. Ensure. Your. Safety. Ainz-sama." the warrior hums assertively with a cold breath.

I shoot a brief glance at Albedo, who offers a silent nod of concurrence.

They have a point. As a magic caster, I would be at the greatest disadvantage if Lenora were to attack immediately and I had no frontline. Allowing them to go first and make sure the coast is clear is certainly something that the clever and cautious supreme ruler of Nazarick would do.

"Very well. Guardians, my life is in your hands. Serve me well".

"Of course, Ainz sama!"

I allow the three of them to file in front of me: the order is Cocytus, Sebas, Albedo, then me.

"Then, we'll be on our way and send word once we have secured the area, Ainz-sama," Sebas explains.

I nod my head, biting back my selfish tongue:

"Do not keep me waiting too long," I command in a deep voice.

"Understood," Cocytus replies on behalf of the guardians.

Without a moment's hesitation, Sebas and Cocytus both vanish through the portal.

However, Albedo stops abruptly just before entering. I tilt my head to the side curiously.

"Albedo? What is the matter?"

"Ainz-sama…" she begins in a soft whisper, catching me off guard:

"If this Lenora is someone like you from Yggdrasil… you won't abandon us for her, will you?" She asks in a hopeful tone.

!

Where is this coming from, all of a sudden?

"Albedo…?"

"Promise me..! That you won't leave us behind…" she reiterates in a quivering tone, quickly whirling around on her heels to face me. She takes a quick, light step towards me, pressing a hand to my chest before I can react: almost as if to confirm that I am in fact in front of her. My breath hitches as she looks up at me, her golden eyes trembling beyond the slit of her helm:

"Promise me that you'll stay by my side forever, Ainz-sama!" She cries, her voice cracking.

"I…" I trail off lamely, at a loss for words under the pressure of her entreating eyes.

What is this feeling in my chest? This knot of guilt, tightening under the pressure of her earnest gaze..?

"I…er, promise" I barely manage to stammer quickly.

Why was that so hard to say?

"O-oh! Ainz-sama!" The overseer gushes, shivering euphorically. Suddenly, her helmet vanishes to reveal her blushing countenance, smiling sweetly from ear-to-ear. Without missing a beat, she goes on the tip of her toes, leaning up towards my face.

Eh!

I just barely manage to lean back in time and dodge her lips.

"A-albedo!" I shout.

"Y-yes, Aiiiiiiinz-sama?!" She cries out unashamedly, clasping her hands together in childish infatuation.

"N-now is not really the time for something like that, stay on guard! Cocytus and Sebas may need us at any moment! I-in fact, I do believe it's been long enough for them to have assured our safe arrival, wouldn't you agree? " I reason, motioning to the gate and turning my head to the side so as to conceal my own blush of embarrassment.

Last night's… moment of weakness… has proven that I need to be even more cautious when interacting with the female NPC's of Nazarick.

And besides, as beautiful as Albedo is, I just can't bring myself to reciprocate her feelings. I'd feel too guilty, knowing that her emotions are simply the result of my selfishly tampering with her code, even though she herself said she didn't mind. In fact, her saying that only made me feel even worse about it.

"O-of course! Forgive me, Ainz-sama!" the succubus replies dejectedly, accentuating the burning guilt in my chest. Following in the footsteps of the night-clad guardian, I step into the portal and Nazarick melts away.

**POV Enri**

**.**

**.**

**.**

The two halves of the death knight's body and shield, both of which were cleaved cleanly in two by a single swipe of the Baharuth Paladin's crackling blade, fall to the ground with noisy thuds. A ring of black soot and dying embers surround the death knight's smoking remains, as though it had been struck by a veritable bolt of lightning. An instant later, the undead warrior, armor and all, sublimates into black mist.

The one responsible nonchalantly sheathes her blade.

Ainz-sama's summon… was defeated?

"H-how..?" I unconsciously mutter aloud in disbelief, falling back into my chair.

"AHAHA! Yes, excellent job Lenora! To have so easily defeated one of the legendary undead! I can't believe it, humanity still has a chance against the undead scourge! Perfect! Ahahaha!" Jircniv exclaims giddily, clapping his hands together in maniacal satisfaction.

My head spins dizzily as I watch the paladin calmly stash her blade away. Now that I've witnessed the scope of her power, I can sense that which was previously undetectable by my senses.

The blatantly dangerous aura she exudes.

For some reason, it almost reminds me of Ainz-sama's… though much less affable.

Just looking at her makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Could she actually be capable of defeating the Sorcerer King..?

I bite my tongue self-beratingly, hard enough to fill my tongue with a metallic taste.

How could I think such a thing, even for a moment?! The Sorcerer King could never lose! Nobody can stand against him!

Drawing courage from the recognition of my sovereign's unrivaled power, I clench my fists and level my most menacing glare at Jircniv, who's still laughing intoxicatedly to himself.

"You think you can get away with something like this, Jircniv? The great Sorcerer King is probably on his way here right now!" I threaten proudly.

My bravery fades just as quickly as it came, however, as Jircniv beams back at me, spreading his arms wide:

"Good, then let him come! It'll only save us the trouble of having to invade his repulsive tomb! Let him come, I say!" he shouts confidently. Then, looking up to the ceiling, he continues:

"Do you hear me, Ainz-Ooal Gown!? I'm not afraid of you anymore! Come and meet your end, you foul, loathsome undead! Ahahahaha!"

-!

Just then, the paladin's head snaps up as though someone had called her name from an unexpected direction. Completely unnoticed by the self-absorbed emperor, I watch Lenora curiously through the corner of my eye. What's up with her?

"Ainz Ooal Gown… where have I heard that before… Ainz Ooal Gown…" she muses quietly, bringing a gauntlet to the chin of her helmet.

Huh?

"What are you mumbling about, Lenora?" Jircniv asks, finally taking notice of his subordinate's strange behavior, and clearly a bit annoyed that her speaking had cut into his triumphant monologuing.

"Forgive me, Jircniv-dono…" the paladin apologizes, dipping her head ever so slightly: "it's just that ever since you've mentioned the name Ainz Ooal Gown… I've been trying to figure out where I've heard it before. It has a vaguely familiar ring to it, but I can't quite place it…" she explains thoughtfully.

Jircniv wags his finger back and forth condescendingly:

"Well, it's no surprise! I know you hail from a far-off land in the east, but it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if word of Death's veritable incarnate had reached overseas!" he exclaims matter-of-factly.

Lenora tilts her head slightly to the side, as though unsatisfied by her Lord's response:

"Er… yes, you're probably right" she concedes regardlessly, but for the first time, her voice doesn't project absolute confidence.

"Now then…" Jircniv begins dismissively, waving off her uncertainty: "perhaps if we go kill more death knights, we will prove ourselves unignorable to the Sorcerer King. What do you think, Lenora?" He asks with amused rhetoric.

The silver paladin nods her head: "Yes, I do believe that would garner the attention of their summoner and force his ha-"

Suddenly, she stops mid-sentence, her head snapping up to attention again. The jarring movement makes my heart skip a beat, and I quickly turn to where she's facing.

… An empty space?

Confused, I look back to Lenora: her eyes are still locked onto the vacant corner of the room, only now her hand is resting on the hilt of her sword.

Just as Jircniv opens his mouth to undoubtedly voice his own confusion-

_Wuuuuuuuong!_

A swirling violet portal tears into existence, right where Lenora is looking.

My eyes widen.

Is this..?!

My heart pounds hopefully as I stare unblinkingly into the gate's mesmerizing center.

"Urk!" a strangled gasp escapes the Baharuthian emperor as he takes a reflexive step back.

"H-he's actually coming! It's h-him, Lenora!" he screeches, raising a trembling bony finger towards the foreboding vortex.

Lenora nods her head acknowledgingly and prepares to draw her sword in a flash. the hilt's gemstone glitters brilliantly in response.

Gripping it tightly, she bends her knees into a combative stance.

A smile forms on my lips.

'Where's all that confidence, Jircniv? Isn't this what you wanted?' I think internally, before redirecting my gaze back to the portal in anticipation.

It's exactly how I remember it on the day Carne Village was attacked by the Slane Theocracy knights - back when I was just a frail little village girl, moments away from death until _he _came.

Suddenly, the swirling black portal becomes less opaque, releasing a faint pink light.

Which means any second now-!

_Fsssssssshhhhhhhhhhhh!_

Rather than the emergence of a familiar golden staff as I was expecting, a cold gust of wind suddenly whistles out of the gate and permeates the entire room, causing the temperature to plummet. I shiver, quickly wrapping my arms around myself. I draw in a shallow breath of bewilderment through chattering teeth, and my lungs burn coldly. What in the world is going on?!

And then-

_CLUNK CLUNK_

A heavy-footed figure lumbers out of the blackness: An ice-blue colored giant with a lustrous exoskeleton. With four arms and large mandibles, he seems to be of an insect race. He's at least seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and what appears to be pillars of ice protruding from his back. In three of his four hands, he's holding dangerous looking weapons: a halberd, a shortsword, and a katana, all of which, from the sheens of their blades, appear to be of peerless quality.

Surrounding this giant insect, I notice, is a faint blue mist, and a layer of frost has begun to insidiously seep out from under his feet, covering the stone floor around him in ice. It's no doubt he's the one responsible for the temperature drop.

"W-who…" Jircniv mutters dizzily from beside me, a faint whisper leaked from light-blue lips.

The large insect warrior pays no heed to me or Jircniv, immediately fixing his eyes on Lenora.

"H.m.m.m…." the icy giant hums judgementally in a bassy and gruff tone, clicking his mandibles rhythmically.

The silver paladin has not budged an inch since he made his entrance, standing her ground just a few meters in front of him. She seems completely unfazed by the cold.

For what feels like an eternity, the two simply reciprocate the other's intense glare, ostensibly sizing each other up.

"H-hey!" Jircniv screeches hoarsely:

"W-who are you! Are you a servant of that foul undead, Ainz Ooal G-"

_KRAKOOM!_

My heart nearly leaps out of my chest at the thunderous crash, as without warning, the icy insect slams the end of his halberd into the ground - and a large fissure of ice snakes across the ground towards Jircniv.

_Krshhhhh~!_

The ice coils around the emperor's legs all the way up to his waist, imprisoning them in an opaque block of ice and effectively rooting him in place.

"A-a-ah-! M-m-my legs!" Jircniv gasps breathlessly, clutching futilely at his ice-encased legs with shaky hands, desperately trying to break free:

"I-I-I can't feel my legs! W-what did you d-d-do y-y-you bastaaaaaard!" He wails in agony, on the brink of hyperventilating from the extreme cold.

The four-armed warrior stomps his foot angrily against the floor, fracturing both ice and stone underfoot and causing the entire room to quake violently. I nearly lose my balance and fall.

"Silence! Worms. Like. You. Who. Fail. To. See. Ainz-sama's. Greatness. Should. Just. Stay. Still. And. Die. Quietly." The insect warrior bellows in an irate tone, raising his free hand towards the emperor: a moment later, the palm of his hand begins to emit a cool blue light:

"[Ice spe-]"

_Fwip!_

The silver paladin suddenly launches herself through the air towards the icy warrior, twisting in midair while drawing her electrified blade from its sheath.

_Ka-kraboom!_

An explosion of lightning emits a blinding white flash and rocks the foundations of the entire building - no, perhaps all of Carne village.

I blink my blinded eyes lethargically.

By some miracle, the warrior had somehow managed to block the devastating swing with his long katana.

Their blades, now locked firmly against each other, form an X, and both warriors' swords begin to tremble violently as they push against one another in a contest of pure strength, creating a discordant metallic rattle. Their eyes are locked together once again.

_Crack~!_

The air seems to have grown perceptibly denser, as both fighters' feet dig deeper and deeper into the crumbling stone floor, as they both drive each other down with all their might, with neither willing to concede any ground.

Shockingly enough, they appear to be evenly matched.

No, wait…

_Skkk!_

Lenora's boot skids forward ever so slightly, and in turn, the massive insect's foot slips backward. And again.

He's losing ground..?

Sure enough, much to my astonishment, in an incredible display of tenacity, Lenora drives her blade forward, pushing it closer and closer to the insect's head. Chains of lightning arc along her blade's edge, leaping off its lustrous surface to lick at the teal-colored warrior's face.

His mandibles click anxiously:

"Grahhh!" He roars in frustration.

_Whoooosh!_

A mighty horizontal swing of his halberd arcs viciously towards Lenora's waist, with the promise to cleave her in two. Although the attack had been faster than my eyes could track, the halberd's blade meets nothing but air as the holy warrior gracefully leaps back a few feet.

Silence.

The only thing I can hear is the faint clattering of my own teeth.

They're back to their stand-still scrutiny.

_Fshhh!_

A quick expulsion of air escapes wildly clicking mandibles, and shockingly enough, the insect dips his head slightly towards his opponent.

"Forgive. Me" he apologizes in a genuine tone: "To. Have. Attempted. To. Attack. Your. Master. Like. That. Right. In. Front. Of. You. Was. Disrespectful. To. A. Warrior. Of. Your. Caliber. But. I. Simply. Could. Not. Ignore. His. Comment." he explains to the silver paladin:

"I. Am. Cocytus. Guardian. Of. The. Fifth. Floor. Of. The. Underground. Tomb. Of. Nazarick. And. Servant. Of. Ainz. Ooal. Gown-sama. And. You. Are?" He inquires cordially.

Lenora cocks her head to the side slightly, apparently as taken aback as I am.

Is this a display of what one might call 'warrior's etiquette'? I never would've expected it based on his appearance… but then again, he is a servant of Ainz-sama so it's to be expected!

I should've known from the portal he came through, and his power, but he's quite scary looking…

But knowing that he's affiliated with Ainz-sama, the cold which envelopes the room doesn't seem quite so bitter anymore.

"Er… I am Lenora" the paladin replies incredulously, her sword's tip dipping towards the ground: "commander of the Baharuth Empire's army".

"A. Fine. Name" Cocytus muses, nodding his head approvingly: "Your. Strength. Is. Impressive" he compliments while lowering his own weapons and assuming a more relaxed stance.

And just like that, the hostile tension from before has completely vanished - replaced by a palpable sense of mutual respect.

I let out an exasperated sigh and clutch at my chest, which only now has begun to beat at a moderate pace again. I was on the brink of having a heart attack for like ten minutes straight!

Suddenly, Lenora turns her head to look directly at me, jarring me from my delusions of safety:

"And you are?" She inquires cautiously.

"E-eh..?" I gasp in surprise. What does she mean? I've already introduced myself to her! Just as I'm about to open my mouth to answer, however, a smooth voice rings out from behind me:

"Ah, forgive me, I meant to introduce myself earlier but I did not want to interrupt the sacred exchange of introductions between warriors," the kind voice explains in a regretful tone.

I whirl around to see the mysterious speaker: an older man who appears to be about fifty years old, with grey hair and a well-trimmed beard. His facial features are very defined, with a chiseled jaw and pronounced cheekbones. Based on his attire - a buttoned-up black suit with gold trimmings, black dress pants, a snow-white tie and matching pair of gloves, as well as immaculately polished black shoes - he appears to be some sort of upper-class butler. He radiates a certain warmth, a distinct sense of reliability and trustworthiness that I can't quite place.

When did he get here? I didn't even see him come through the [gate]!

"My name is Sebas Tian," he introduces himself, placing his hand over his chest in a sincere gesture: "leader of the Pleiades Battle Maids of the Underground Tomb of Nazarick, and humble butler to the supreme one, Ainz-Ooal Gown-sama. Ah, but you may just call me Sebas" he adds, smiling warmly, which causes distinct crows' feet to appear in the corners of his narrow eyes.

He then looks down at me through one eye and my body tingles warmly under his considerate gaze.

With a refined motion, he removes the handkerchief from his chest pocket and extends it out to me.

"Ah, you must be miss Enri, correct? Here, take this: your nose appears to be running. You'll have to forgive my fellow guardian Cocytus for that," he offers politely.

I reluctantly reach out and grasp the expensive piece of white cloth - even through his glove, I can feel the warmth of his hand from our brief contact.

"T-thank you…" I trail off, unsure of what to say.

"You're welcome. Now then…" he says, looking back to Lenora, who keeps shifting her eyes back and forth between Sebas and Cocytus, her body facing directly between them so she would be able to react to either one of them attacking her.

"You can rest easy miss Lenora, we will not attack you so long as you do not do anything brash..." he assures in a soothing tone, placing his hand over his chest in a sincere gesture: "Our Lord, the venerable Ainz-Ooal Gown-sama, wishes to speak with you. I trust you would be willing to hear him out, no?"

Though the paladin has no time to reply as the [gate] suddenly surges to life again, emitting a soft glow.

"Ah, here he comes now" Sebas explains calmly.

Then, in perfect synchronicity, both he and Cocytus turn and kneel towards the gate.

"A-ah!" I gasp in a fluster, awkwardly clambering to one knee beside Sebas.

As a loyal vassal of the Sorcerer Kingdom, I should probably kneel as well, right? Or is that something reserved only for those living in the Sorcerer Kingdom?

Just I begin to question my choice and wonder whether or not I should stand back up or not, Sebeas cranes his neck and offers a slight nod of approval my way before dipping his head back down towards the [gate]. My eyes widen, as finally, a familiar golden staff emerges from the vortex and strikes the ground powerfully.

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

_Wuuuuuuong!_

"Ainz-sama!" An enthusiastic voice cries out to me.

Hm? I turn my head towards the source - it's Enri, grinning ear-to-ear with tears rolling down her rose-tinged cheeks. She doesn't seem hurt though… maybe she's relieved that I'm here now?

_Wuuuuuuong!_

I offer her a quiet nod of acknowledgment. Also... why is it so damn cold in here?! I feel the familiar sensation of shrinkage occurring between my legs

I glare at the culpable guardian with disdain. Ahhh, sometimes I miss being undead!

I then direct my gaze to lock onto the silver paladin.

Though her face is concealed by a helmet, I can feel our eyes meet, and my heart skips a beat.

As though our eye contact transmitted a bolt of electricity between us, we both jolt upright in tandem.

The Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown slips from my slackened grasp and levitates at my side, just as her gauntlet releases the hilt of her sword, which clatters noisily against the ice at her feet.

"Lenora, it's him! The foul undead, Ainz Ooal Gown! Don't be fooled by his illusion, he's not a human! Kill him! Kill him now!" Jircniv barks desperately.

His voice is dull in my ears.

At this moment, everything else fades away, and there exists only the two of us. This connection between us, this unmistakable, instantaneous bond.

Formed between Player and Player - I'm sure of it now!

Subconsciously, I take a step forward on a trembling leg, quaking so much that it threatens to give out at any moment.

"Ainz-sama..?" A voice questions - Lupusregina or Enri, I can't even tell.

I need to hear the paladin say it to know for sure though. I draw in a lungful of air and slowly release it, my breath visible in the cold.

"By chance, are you…" I whisper, barely able to choke the words out: I can't even bring myself to finish the question out of fear.

"Ainz-sama..?" The succubus at my side calls out quietly, reaching out a hand to grasp at my sleeve.

I swallow gravely, staring intently at the silver paladin. I clench my jaw, a mechanism to prevent my eyes from betraying the indomitable name of Ainz Ooal Gown.

If she says 'no'.

If she isn't actually from Yggdrasil - somehow, despite all the evidence and my own intuition - then I might just crumble here.

I… I don't think I could continue living in this world. Not after having hope like this. Not after-

Suddenly, the silver warrior collapses to the ground on both knees, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. "Lenora! What are you doing, get up! Get up, dammit! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him kill him kill him kill him kill hiiiiiiiiim!" Jircniv continues his maniacal tirade, clutching at his still-frozen legs angrily.

"We would appreciate your silence," Sebas whispers quietly, appearing behind Jircniv in the blink of an eye.

_Tap!_

With a karate-chop motion, he lightly taps the back of the emperor's neck, rendering him unconscious in an instant. His upper body dangles limply over his upright legs, and the room's tense silence is restored.

I can't even bring myself to exhale.

The silver angel raises her head, and after reaching up slowly with two quivering gauntlets, she removes her helmet.

-!

A beautiful, porcelain visage - much more fragile and refined than what is projected through her voice. Long, flowing, fiery-red hair, brilliant and burning to the eyes, a petite nose, and delicate pale lips.

She is, unironically, angelic.

And last but not least, her eyes. A dazzlingly deep violet, brimming with power, purity, confidence…

And disbelief.

Her lips part ever so slightly, and I continue to hold my breath.

The guardians watch in resolute silence and anticipation, undoubtedly unsure exactly of what's happening, but recognizing its importance nonetheless.

A lone tear trickles down the angel's left cheek, detouring around her open mouth before accumulating precariously at the base of her slender chin.

"... from Yggdrasil?" She whispers, nearly inaudibly, finishing the question that I could not.

And then, her quivering mouth forms a sincere smile: one that makes my heart skip a beat as her words sink in.

_Drip!_

The tear from her chin finally surrenders to gravity and splashes against the ground below.

"Yes, yes I am..!" She exclaims, raising both hands to wipe the tears which have begun leaking from her gemstone-like eyes with full force.

From her words, an intense pain wracks through my chest: but it is not a bad pain.

It is a pain contrived from finally being able to stop and acknowledge all the suffering I've experienced these past months.

A pain that promises healing.

I clutch at my own chest and finally exhale.

The loneliness. The confusion. The uncertainty. The emptiness. The identity crisis.

Her words, more powerful than any spell, have liberated me from it all.

Her words have saved me: saved Suzuki Satoru.

I stare across the room at Lenora - my saviour.

She stares back - not at Ainz Ooal Gown, Supreme Ruler of the Underground Tomb of Nazarick, but at a player, at _me_.

"Aha… ahahaha...ahahahaha!" Cracking, tremulous laughter explodes out from me: uncontrollable and unabating, forcing my eyes shut and driving me to my knees until my sides hurt and my ribs ache, and even now I can't stop.

"A-ainz-sama! Are you alright?!" Albedo cries out worriedly, dropping to her knees at my side.

"Ainz-sama!" Cocytus booms, raising his [God Slaying Emperor Blade] towards the silver paladin:

"What. Have. You. Done. To-!" He begins accusingly, only for the words to catch in his throat as Lenora herself crumbles like a bursting dam.

The two of us laugh, and laugh, and laugh until our eyes run dry and we both nearly pass out from oxygen deprivation.

While Cocytus and Albedo watch on with increasing concern as they struggle to understand the situation, only Sebas remains silent and patient - perhaps as the most 'human' and good-natured NPC in Nazarick, only he can read the situation correctly.

At some point, my tear-blurred eyes made contact with Sebas', and a look of surprise had rippled across his face in that moment as he came to grasp the depths of my joy. He offered a pleasant smile and a congratulatory bow.

This is the start of a new beginning. A new chapter: for me, for Nazarick, maybe even for this whole world.

And if this chance encounter brings me one step closer to getting back to the real world, then this new chapter may be, just maybe… the beginning of the end.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I meant to release this chapter on Christmas as a gift to you all, but it, unfortunately, wasn't ready in time :( so forgive me on that. But anyway, only three weeks since the last update, so I'll consider it a win regardless XD.**

**I hope you all had a merry Christmas full of laughter, love, joy, (and material acquisition) as I myself enjoyed... and for those of you who didn't celebrate, well... I hope you've been doing well in life, in whatever position you find yourself in right now! A new year will soon be upon us - a new decade, in fact - and I hope you'll all be able to start off on the right foot as the best person you can be, and I wish for nothing but absolute happiness and success in all your endeavours :)**

**Before 2020 begins, take some time to reflect: on all your successes - and failures - of not just 2019, but every year of your life, that have thus far shaped you into the wonderful human being you are today: and with those in mind, set goals for yourself in the coming year. And no, I don't mean New Year's resolutions you will inevitably neglect by the end of January. I mean meaningful goals, one that you truly desire in your heart and must strive - or have been striving - for. Maybe it's something that you had set out to attain in 2019, or 2018, or many many years ago, but haven't quite gotten around to accomplishing. Well, 2020 is your year: to get that job, that promotion, that scholarship. To get into your dream school, make new friends, strengthen bonds, and ask out that girl or guy that maybe you've been too shy or insecure to approach - until now!**

**Whatever you set out to do, I know you can do it.**

**Enjoy the chapter and happy New Year.**

* * *

Chapter 15:

"**In the Name of Love, I Swear"**

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Welcome back, Ainz-sama!" four prostrating individuals shout in distinctly relieved tones.

"Umu. Everyone," I begin in a weighty tone from atop my throne. With a practiced wave of my hand, I motion to the silver paladin in the center of the room, who begins to shift uncomfortably from foot to foot under the weight of all the guardians' scrutinizing gazes.

As soon as we had returned from Carne village through the use of another gate, all the guardians who had not accompanied me were already gathered here, waiting for my return. And while I was extremely tempted to brush them off and go straight to an indiscrete environment, alone with Lenora to learn more about her, I was able to quell such an unbecoming urge. It would've been too disrespectful towards the guardians, and perhaps even a bit suspect.

If Albedo's earlier question was of any indication, I should assume that the other NPC's must harbor similar skepticism towards Lenora and worry about the potential 'threat' she poses to the sanctity of Nazarick's day-to-day life. Particularly, I expect there to be friction between her, Albedo, and Shalltear, given those two's… er… competitive natures. I'll have to think of a way to quickly integrate Lenora into Nazarick and dispel the guardians' concerns. Maybe I should organize another day off for the female guardians like I did before and allow them to bond? Or would that be too forceful? yes, I believe that would be asking too much. Though it would be nice if it could happen. One step at a time, I suppose. Now, first things first:

"Guardians, this is Lenora: someone who, like us, was transported to this world from Yggdrasil. She will be staying here in Nazarick from now on. Although some of you have met her already, I would like you all to properly introduce yourselves" I declare with a nod.

The guardians, who had been kneeling, all rise to their feet in perfect synchronicity and turn to face Lenora.

Shalltear is the first to step forward, blatantly sizing Lenora up from head to toe with a scornful expression she puts no effort into concealing.

"Right, well… my name is Shalltear Bloodfallen. I am the guardian overseer of the first four floors of the Underground Tomb of Nazarick. Pleased to meet you" she spits out with a bitterness disguised as apathy.

I clench my eyes shut, cringing internally. Ahhh that wasn't a very good icebreaker at all Shalltear! Would it kill you to try even just a little?

"L-likewise…" Lenora replies politely nonetheless - and with her helmet now removed, I can see her shoot a distinctly nervous look my way. I offer a quick shrug and shake my head apologetically.

_Fssssssh!_

"Yes. We. Have. Already. Met. But. I. Am. Cocytus. Guardian. Of. The. Fifth. Floor. Of. The. Underground. Tomb. Of. Nazarick. Nice. To. Meet. You... I. Look. Forward. To. The. Next. Time. We. Cross. Blades" He adds, nodding his head with sincere conviction.

My heart skips a beat of relief as Lenora's expression softens and she forms a weak smile.

"Yes, nice to meet you Cocytus. I would be happy to duel you properly sometime".

"Wonderful!" the frosty warrior roars happily. It seems the tension Shalltear's coldness created has - ironically - been dispelled by the icy guardian.

Next, Mare and Aura step forward together. While Aura puffs her chest out and flashes a broad smile, Mare timidly clasps his hands together, standing slightly behind his sister.

"Yo! I'm Aura Belle Fiora, and this-" she pauses, stepping to the side and forcing Mare into the spotlight, "is my brother Mare! We're the guardians of the sixth floor. While I specialize in taming and collecting magical beasts, Mare is a druid! Nice to meet ya!" She declares proudly.

I nod my head in approval. Nice going, Aura! Telling her a bit about your hobbies, a perfect way to break the ice and start developing some familiarity.

After a few moments of silent mouth contortions, Mare finally finds his voice: "A-ah! H-hello, nice to meet you…" he squeaks in a fluster, before looking over his shoulder to me with a sheepish expression that seems to ask 'did I do well?'. I offer a quick nod of approval, a motion he reciprocates before shuffling closer to Aura.

I sigh hopefully. It seems neither the twins or Cocytus will have any trouble getting along with Lenora. Maybe I was just being paranoid after all?

...

Sebas and Demiurge both introduce themselves normally and without a hitch - with Demiurge coming across as perhaps a bit apprehensive and untrusting, but that was to be expected - and about the best I could've hoped for. At least he didn't launch into an interrogational tirade, which I was fully anticipating and bracing myself to interrupt. It seems I can rest easy for now.

Ah, but… then there's still Albedo I suppose. but she's used to being diplomatic and cordial, so I doubt there's anything to worry about.

Thinking the potential for any drama to be nonexistent now, I sigh relievedly and lean back in my throne.

All eyes in the room turn to the guardian overseer expectantly, standing composed and dignified in the center of the row of guardians with a sweet smile on her face.

"Welcome to Nazarick, Lenora… my name is Albedo, second-in-command of Nazarick and overseer of all other guardians" She declares pleasantly.

Phew! She introduced herself as tactfully as I expected and we got through introductions without any issues! Good to see we're starting off on the right foot! Maybe a day off for bonding between the female guardians and Lenora isn't as farfetched as I had previously thought? Ah, no, I can't dwell on that any longer. Rushing things could prove more harmful than good.

I look to Lenora who nods back at me with a similarly relieved expression. Just as I begin to get up from my throne and dismiss the guardians-

"AND…" Albedo suddenly exclaims in a high-pitched tone, apparently not done with her introduction.

And?! There should be no 'and'!

The succubus brings her hands up to her face, cupping her disconcertingly flushed cheeks.

W-wait a minute! I've seen that look too many times!

"A-albedo, wait-" I begin desperately.

Too late.

"And… I'm also Aiiiiinza-sama's head wife!" She squeals happily, her entire face turning bright pink as she wiggles her wings from side to side.

"A-a-ainz-sama's… wife?!" the purple-eyed paladin cries incredulously, snapping her head to me for immediate clarification with a blush of her own.

I just had to jinx everything, didn't I?!

"W-wait, it's not like that-!" I start defensively, leaping up from my throne.

"Now hold on!" another shrill voice suddenly screeches in protest, cutting me off:

"That hasn't been decided yet!" Shalltear exclaims lividly.

Albedo stops quivering euphorically and turns to face the victorian-style dressed vampire.

"Hohhhh?" The overseer hums condescendingly, her lips curling into a belittling grin:

"It was though, remember? We agreed that I would be head wife, but on the condition that we would both bear an equal amount of children" she asserts confidently.

But this is the first I've heard of this arrangement!

"E-e-ehhhh?! C-children" Lenora gasps, looking wildly between the two confrontational guardians.

Why do these misunderstandings always occur at the most inopportune times!?

"L-lenora, let me explain..!" I try to speak, though my constrained voice falls on deaf ears amongst all the commotion. Sigh, what's the use at this point. I slump defeatedly back into my throne.

Just then, I notice Aura pinch the bridge of her nose tiredly:

"Hahhhh…" the tomboy sighs loudly in exasperation, her shoulders slumping dramatically: "would you two cut it out, we've been through this like a bajillion ti- eep!" her complaint is quickly stifled though, as Mare, noticing the murderous gazes being directed towards his sister, slaps a hand over Aura's mouth.

"Ehhh, what was that, chibisuke?" Shalltear hisses dreadfully.

Aura scratches the back of her head sheepishly as Mare slowly retracts his hand:

"N-nothing! I mean, if it hasn't been settled, then, by all means, take all the time you need to discuss it some more! It is super important after all! Ehehe!" the beast-tamer suggests with a nervous chuckle, taking a not-so-subtle step towards the throne room's exit. Her brother follows suit.

Albedo and Shalltear redirect their gazes to each other.

I turn back to the incredulous paladin, but my opportunity to clear things up escapes me once again as Sebas approaches her and places a comforting hand on her shoulder:

"Have no fear, lady Lenora, this is a common occurrence… it usually resolves itself without too much trouble" I hear him whisper reassuringly.

"Is that so..?" She trails off uncertainly. To this, Sebas merely strokes his chin and gives a slight head tilt, which is basically his equivalence of a shrug.

And with that, all attention has turned to the 'common occurrence'. The sad part is, to label it as that isn't even a lie… but Sebas is also right in that they usually calm down on their own before things escalate too much - sooner or later, like always, they'll realize how inappropriate it is to act like this in front of me. Demiurge is shaking his head disapprovingly while the elf twins continue to edge closer and closer to the exit... and Cocytus, well, he's in the midst of frolicking about the room with my future children sitting upon his shoulders. I turn back to the main dispute in bored resignation.

"Hahhhhh? I never agreed to that! If you want to be head wife, then I should be given the honour of having more of Ainz-sama's children, it's only fair!" Shalltear shrieks adamantly, crossing her arms in a pout.

"I think not! I carry twenty, and you carry twenty!" The succubus asserts indignantly.

A familiar jolt of pain stirs my lower region. Oh God, I think I'm going to pass out again...

"Twenty. And. Twenty?!" I suddenly hear Cocytus cry out from afar, as he begins stumbling back and forth like a drunkard, apparently struggling to balance forty imaginary children on his shoulders.

"And what if Ainz-sama wants more than that, or an odd number of kids that can't be divided equally?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it!" Albedo retorts angrily.

"M-more. Than. That?!" Coctyus' faint, bewildered voice echos out from the other side of the throne room: I look up just in time to see him teeter back several feet before unceremoniously collapsing to the ground.

Hmm, so his limit is forty... I GUESS I'LL KEEP THAT IN MIND AND NOT HAVE ANY MORE THAN THAT, I shout out sarcastically in my head.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, huh... and by that, I'm sure you mean that you'll find a way to have more children than me without my knowledge, hahhhhh?!" Shalltear hisses accusingly.

"How in the world would you expect me to keep entire pregnancies secret from you?! It's not like there's magic out there to speed up the process!" Albedo replies

"I don't know how!" SHalltear exclaims, throwing her hands in the air: "but I'm sure you'll find a way, you conniving harpy!"

Everyone else in the room can only watch in mutual tiredness and discomfort.

M-maybe I should intervene after all-!

"H-harpy?! You know, I'd be surprised if an undead lamprey like you could even carry a child. You're so rotten and bitchy that no amount of effort or magic could make THAT womb hospitable!"

"Ehhhhhhh?! I-I can too!" The vampire wails defensively, her cheeks turning scarlet from the overseer's vicious jab.

"And even if by some chance you could, you sure as hell wouldn't even be able to nourish the child, given that your breasts are 99% padding!"

"EEEEEEEE don't say another word or I'll rip your throat out, you overweight whore!"

Now it's Albedo's turn to recoil as she wraps her arms self-consciously around her waist:

"O-overweight?! Y-you're just jealous because Ainz-sama prefers busty women!"

My jaw drops. This argument has devolved even further than usual!

"Er, Albedo, Shalltear, I think maybe-" I begin weakly while sneaking a glance at Lenora, who's watching the scene unfold with a disconcertingly stoic expression.

"Pffft, you wish!" Shalltear cries in a voice overflowing with the confidence she had regained after finally striking a nerve: "Ainz-sama is not so foolish as to confuse 'fat' for curvacious: but he is certainly wise enough to recognize beauty in slimness. Right, Ainz-sama?"

-!

At the mention of my name, I nearly fall out of my throne. What the FUCK am I supposed to say to that?!

Everyone's eyes have fallen on me - except for Cocytus', who seems to be taking another shot - and faring remarkably better than before -at balancing all my kids on his shoulders. Oh, and the dark elf twins who have long since snuck out.

I look to Lenora entreatingly and meet her gaze.

Please help, I'm drowning!

But rather than throw me a life ring, she instead turns her gaze away to watch me through the corner of her eyes without a trace of surprise, worry, or confusion as I flail about in the water: there exists only a glazed yet blatantly disgusted look on her face:

'Pervert' is what her eyes, violet pools of scornful judgement, convey accusingly.

The female guardians are none the wiser to my suffering.

" 'Slimness' you say?! Please! Ainz-sama is not so foolish as to confuse 'slim' for 'immature'! If he wanted to be with you, he could easily find the same experience in making love to an anvil!" The succubus glowers with a sneer, using the vampire's own words against her.

"Urk! Why you-!"

I slump back in my throne dejectedly as the escalating bickering between succubus and vampire becoming little more than white noise in my ears.

This… was not how things were supposed to go…

Just then, I feel a cold presence next to me as a shadow looms overhead.

"Hmm? What is it, Cocytus?" I ask.

"F-forgive. Me. Ainz-sama. But. Earlier. I. Dropped. Your. Children…" he trails off lamentably.

...

"Hahhh…" I sigh tiredly, finally closing the door to my chamber in peace.

I turn to face the only other occupant in the room and offer a feeble smile.

"Sorry about that…" I mutter, nervously scratching the back of my head.

"It's fine, it was kinda fun I guess. You got a real nice guild base here, way better than the one I used to use..." she explains, gazing admiringly around my bedroom while sitting on the corner of my bed.

I slowly approach her and take a seat next to her on the other side of the bed.

"Thanks I guess… I'm surprised you went along with everything so well, I was worried you might, you know…" I trail off uncertainly.

" 'ruin everything', you mean?" She replies humorously.

"Er, well… yeah, I guess…" I stammer, fidgeting with my fingers.

"Aha, don't worry… I played Yggdrasil as well, I know how to roleplay. I wasn't about to ruin your love triangle or dreams of having 40 children, surprising though that was to learn…" she trails off accusingly.

I turn to face her:

"N-now hold on, it's not like that at-!" I begin to exclaim - but stop myself as I notice her insincere and playful smirk.

"Don't worry, I know it's not" she explains knowingly.

"Y-you do? how..?" I ask incredulously, relief flooding through me. This saves a LOT of uncomfortable explaining on my part.

"I dunno… I guess I could just tell from the moment I saw you, that you aren't the type of guy to be into that sort of… thing" she offers with a shrug, averting her gaze to the floor.

"Is that so..?"

"It is… well, and there was also the fact that you looked like you were having an existential crisis and wanted to die back there… but yeah, mostly intuition" She says with a smirk.

For the briefest of moments, her gaze flutters over me and we make eye contact before her eyes find heir way back to the floor as though magnetically drawn.

"Ahaha…" I chuckle nervously.

A long and awkward silence engulfs the room as we both turn our gazes to anything but the other person.

I have so many questions for her swirling in my head… but for some reason, I can't bring my mouth to move or my throat to loosen. It's like I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything, that the person next to me is ACTUALLY a player - like some part of me is worried that if I engage with it, I may break the illusion and find myself alone again.

Suddenly, Lenora giggles bubblingly and flops backward on my bed, sprawling herself out on my bedsheet.

"..?" I shoot her an inquisitive look.

"Ainz… you know it's funny, I've been dying to find another player since I got to this New World a week ago, and now that I'm here, and you're here, I just can't bring myself to talk! It's as if I'm worried that I-"

"-might dispel the illusion, right?" I conclude for her.

"Y-yeah… you too huh? Ahaha…" She sighs wistfully.

Another awkward silence. Come on Suzuki, say something!

"Say… how long have you been here, Ainz?" Lenora suddenly ventures, beating me to the punch again: "it seems like, just from how at ease you seem with being the ruler of this Tomb and the relationships you have with the NPC's and the outside world, you've been here quite a bit longer than me..."

"Hmm… to be honest, I've lost track of time. When you're undead, time sort of loses its meaning…" I trail off pensively.

How long has it been? five, six months?

Suddenly, Lenora bolts up to an upright position and squints her eyes at me. I swallow a hitched breath under her sudden scrutiny.

"That long, huh..? I can't even imagine..." She replies to my silence with a sympathetic shake of her head: " but what do you mean by 'undead'?" She repeats confusedly.

Hmm?

Oh, right... I'm a human right now and-

My eyes widen in realization as I unconsciously bring a hand up to my own face.

I'm not a skeleton anymore.

I'm me.

Suzuki Satoru.

And next to me… is another player. Here, with me.

In the flesh.

Finally, after so long. My head throbs melancholically.

"You must have been lonely, being the only player for all this time... right?" Lenora suddenly guesses - though, from the solemn, matter-of-factness of her tone, it's more of a declaration. And at the same time, her words feel like a hot poker being pressed into my chest - inflicting a sort of existential pain that can only come from having your entire being summarized in one sentence by a complete stranger.

"I… was…" I trail off, feeling the warm sting of tears in the corners of my eyes.

I guess for a while, I actually wasn't: but after rekindling my humanity and not having the emotion suppressor to desensitize me to my nostalgic cravings, I quickly realized just how lonely I was, deep down, all this time.

These last three days have been crushing.

But, finally, I'm not alone.

I turn to face the fiery-haired angel, and my heart skips a beat as I notice that she, too, has tears welling in her eyes.

"Look at us, two of the most powerful beings in this world, on the brink of tears like big babies for the second time today…" She jokes in a quivering voice, wiping at her eyes with unsteady hands.

Finally, the lump in my throat melts away and I hesitantly part my lips:

"Hey, I know you're probably sick of introducing yourself by now, but…I'm Suzuki. Suzuki Satoru" I whisper, extending a hand towards the woman sitting next to me.

My lips tickle nostalgically, blissfully, at the utterance of my name and I shiver regretfully.

How long has it been since I've even said that name aloud, much less introduced myself with it?

The angel's eyes widen for a moment as she regards my hand. Then, a second later, she slowly slips her hand into mine and squeezes my hand tightly. A surge of warmth courses through my entire body from the point of contact and I close my eyes.

Finally... after so long.

I squeeze back.

I open my eyes to find the sweetest of smiles beaming back at me:

"Suzuki…" she reiterates thoughtfully, as though playing with the word in her head.

Just hearing her say it though, is enough to send me to cloud nine. How long has it BEEN since someone addressed me like that? Just Suzuki. Not Ainz. Not Momonga. No -sama at the end.

It's so… refreshing.

"Suzuki Satoru… it's great to meet you! My name is Jade. Jade Willows"

And then, with a clunky motion due to our uncontrollable trembling, we raise our clasped hands up and back down, completing the handshake.

Our hands come apart slowly, leaving my palm to tingle yearningly. I quickly clench it shut, to retain that warmth - if for only a moment longer.

More silence, as we both regard our now empty hands.

"Ehehe…" Jade suddenly giggles: "There's just so much I want to talk with you about, Suzuki… I don't even know where to start! It's making me giddy just thinking about it!"

As though a part of me had been waiting for her initiation, my mouth flies open and begins to move at a speed that my brain can barely even keep up with;

"Jade, where did you live on Earth? How old are you in real life? How long did you play Yggdrasil for? When did you start? Do you have any siblings? Favorite color? Favorite movie? What did you do for work?" I blurt out at lightning speed while leaning in closer towards her with each question. All the words flew out in less than five seconds, and had it not been for my brain spinning out of control while lagging too far behind the motion of my mouth, I would've asked even more.

"Uhhhhhh…" Jade stammers, slowly leaning away from me.

_Blink blink._

-!

My brain finally calms down enough for me to realize what I did, and notice how close I've gotten to her - our noses are almost touching. I quickly back up and sheepishly turn away, feeling my cheeks begin to grow warm.

"Er… sorry, I don't know what came over me…" I stammer embarrassedly.

Ahhh what are you doing Suzuki?! This is your only chance at connecting with another player and you're already blowing it! She probably thinks you're super weird and creepy now!

"Pfft…" I hear a stifled exhale, and slowly turn my head back to see Jade with a hand clasped over her mouth in an ostensibly futile attempt to stifle a laugh: but the pressure in her puffed out cheeks proves too much to contain, and raucous laughter fills the room as the paladin clutches at her gut and falls back on my bed again.

All I can do is sit in silent embarrassment and astonishment as the other player recovers from her spontaneous outburst.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity she sits back up and wipes the laughter-induced tears from her cheeks.

"Sorry, sorry! I wasn't laughing at you, I just… your eagerness was too adorable, I couldn't help myself!"

"Isn't that the same as laughing at me?" I point out, allowing my shoulders to slump dejectedly.

"Well I suppose it is, but… in a good way! Because I feel the same way!" She beams happily.

_Swshhh!_

Suddenly, I hear the sound of the bedsheet fabric shifting.

"Say, Suzuki…" Jade whispers quietly, repositioning herself on all fours so as to lean in towards me.

"W-what is it?" I stutter as her breath tickles my ear, emphasizing our close proximity again.

"You wouldn't happen to have a bathhouse somewhere around here, would you?" She asks eagerly.

I tilt my head to the side. What an odd thing to ask out of the blue… but I suppose thinking that is a bit hypocritical given what just happened…

"Er, yes, we have a large one right here on the ninth floor in fact-"

"Really?! Wahhhh thank God, that's great!" She squeals ecstatically, quickly jumping to her feet.

"Um, a-are you interested in taking a b- whoah!" I exclaim, caught off guard as she suddenly grabs hold of my hand and yanks me to my feet.

"Damn straight I am! Ahaha, it's been so long since I've had a proper bath. Come on Suzuki, let's go together!"

"T-together?!" I sputter embarrassedly, yanking my hand away from hers in surprise.

"Yeah! It'll be fun! We can hang out, relax, and talk the night away until we pass out from heatstroke!" She jokes with a wide grin, undeterred by my diffidence.

"T-that's a little…" I trail of bashfully, looking to the corner of the room. As enticing as that scenario sounds, I can't just bathe with a girl I just met!

"Hm? What's wrong Suzuki? Not a fan of baths? Maybe you're more of a shower kind of guy?" She asks confusedly.

I feel my face twitch indignantly at her blasphemous accusation. But how can she not understand?!

"N-no, it's not that, but, w-well, you know… y-you're a girl, and I'm a guy so…"

"So…?" She reiterates with a blank stare, apparently still not grasping the blatant issue. She seems to be a jokester, is she just teasing me again? Or do I really have to say it?

"It's a little… inappropriate, wouldn't you say..?" I ask in what's meant to be a rhetorical tone as my cheeks flush with heat.

"Oh! So that's what you mean! Ehehe…" She exclaims, slamming a fist vertically into her open palm as though I had just explained the answer to a confounding riddle: "why is that a problem though? There's no need to be self-conscious, these are just our avatars after all. it's not like it's really us!"

My heart skips a beat and I feel a cold bead of sweat form atop my brow.

"R-right… just our avatars…" I repeat, forcing myself to smile while focusing every ounce of effort in order to prevent my face from twitching.

"Great! Now let's goooooo!" Lenora shouts, wrenching me out the door at top speed. Could it be that she actually knows where to go?

As I trail behind the troublesomely agile angel, my arm feels like it's on the brink of dislocating from its socket at any second, and strands of red hair whip my face mercilessly. Finally, after racing through the hall and across the entire throne room, we come to a screeching halt where the hallway diverges, causing me to nearly crash into her. Her fluttering hair finally settles back around her shoulders and out of my mouth.

"W-what's wrong?" I pant out, rubbing the shoulder of my now dully throbbing arm.

Lenora slowly turns around to face me, anxiously twirling a lock of crimson hair around an index finger with a guilty grin.

"I er… just realized I have no idea where I'm going" She confesses.

_Blink blink._

This girl is…

I smile.

"Hehehe…" she chuckles nervously upon noticing my smile - perhaps because she construes it to be one of disbelief or mockery, or maybe because it was just a reaction she wasn't expecting.

But it was a reaction born from something much more genuine and stronger than that.

"Well, I can hardly fault you for getting carried away" I reason, extending my Ring-of-Ainz-Ooal-Gown adorned hand towards her: "take my hand, I'll teleport us there" I explain.

"Ah, how convenient! Why didn't you say that in the first place?" She exclaims, gripping my hand firmly.

"Well, you hardly gave me a chance," I say with a laugh.

"O-oh yeah… ehehe… my bad!" She apologizes insincerely.

"Well, let's go already then. I's been a while since I myself have taken-" I stop mid-sentence as a flash of realization strikes me. I guess… I actually just took a bath less than three days ago, when Albedo had joined me.

Jeez, that means I've only really been a human for a couple of days, and yet so much has transpired that it feels much longer than that…

"Suzuki? Are you okay?" Lenora asks quietly, giving my hand a squeeze.

My eyes widen and I shake my head, snapping back from my thoughts.

I look to our intertwined fingers and a warm feeling courses through my chest.

Whether it's because of her angelic appearance, her dulcet voice, the fact that she's a player, or some mixture of all three aspects, but Lenora has a comforting, almost maternal presence. One that can finally allay the loneliness in my heart.

I shake my head again.

"Activate!" I cry out, and the power of the ring whisks us away.

**POV Albedo**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"That issss all I could remember, Albedo-sssssan. The converssssation wasssss rather difficult for me to follow, assss a result of my lack of undersssstanding" The shadow demon, which I had instructed to eavesdrop on Ainz-sama's conversation with Lenora, admits in a regretful whisper after concluding its report.

"Unbelievable..." I mutter to myself angrily, grinding my teeth with more and more force as I replay in my head what was just recounted to me.

"You swear that everything you told me was the truth?"

"Yesss, Albedo-ssssan".

"So then... H-he's actually taking a bath with her?!" I shriek angrily.

_Krack~!_

My fist finds its way to the nearest surface at max speed, spewing chunks of stone into the air. The shadow demon shudders restlessly in its spot.

"Hah...hah...hah…" I pant out heavily and stare intently at the wall, in which my fist is embedded, imagining it to be the paladin's face.

"Y-yessss that isss c-correct…" the shadow demon confirms reluctantly, scuttling a few steps away from me and towards my chamber's exit.

And what of this talk of another place named 'Earth'? Was it a place in Yggdrasil? I recall no such area in any database. But more importantly...

"And what are these… these PET NAMES you say you heard?!" I seethe, turning my head slowly to face the demon, who visibly shrinks under my contemptuous glare.

"I m-may have been misssstaken but… Lenora, who Ainz-sssssama ssssstarted referring to assssss 'Jade', addressssssed Ainz-sssssama as Sssssuzuki. Forgive me, there wasssss another part to both of their namesssss but I could not commit them to memory" the shadow demon adds at the end after a short pause - perhaps deliberating whether or not it was worth the risk to say.

I clutch at my temple with a trembling hand

"Why…" I mutter in a low tone.

"...L-lady Albedo..?" The shadow demon ventures in a voice cracking with fear.

"Why… why why why why WHY?!" I scream to the ceiling.

_Fwoom!_

A bright purple aura explodes out from me, blurring my vision, cracking the stone around my feet and dimming the entire room in my fury. The trembling shadow demon immediately begins to retreat into the floor.

But it's not quick enough.

I lunge forward, grabbing it by the throat and tearing it out of the floor.

"Ack-!" It croaks, its pitch black form writhing futilely in my grip.

I squeeze its throat with all my might, holding it in the air with a single arm.

_Schwing!_

Without a moment's hesitation, I call my axe to hand and swing it viciously towards my squirming victim.

_Whoosh!_

My glowing blade passes cleanly through the partially intangible body, cleaving it in two and scattering wisps of black smoke in all directions with an accompanying gush of bubbling black fluid that splatters across the floor.

The shadow demon's upper torso lay limp in my grasp, and a moment later, it sublimates out of existence in a cloud of smoke, leaving my shaking hand to squeeze at nothing but thin air.

"Hah...hah...hah…"

I drop to my knees and stare absentmindedly at the wall opposite to me, jaw clenched and eyes trembling in their sockets.

Killing the shadow demon did nothing to quell my rage. My confusion. My pain.

Why? Why would Ainz-sama become so familiar with this bitch so quickly? How could he divulge a name - one of his names - to her, that he had never told to ANY of us guardians. Not even me! How can he suddenly be more open about himself with HER than ME?!

Why would he so easily BATHE WITH HER, a complete stranger! He couldn't put himself in a more vulnerable position! Something so reckless… this isn't like the supreme one at all! She… she must be manipulating him! She must have charmed in some way, taking advantage of his human form!

Why else would he give HER the privilege I have been denied so many times?! I would raze this entire world single-handedly if it meant being given the opportunity to bathe with Ainz-sama!

This distasteful vixen, who has already seemingly wormed her way into Ainz-sama's heart... does he really already love her more than we guardians, who have knelt before him with all the love and respect our hearts could muster for so many years?

Does he really... love her more than me?

At that horrible realization, a heart-wrenching pain ignites every cell in my body, causing me to keel over as searing hot tears stream down my face.

I wrap a hand tightly around my ring finger decorated with the ring of Ainz Ooal Gown - a token of Ainz-sama's love and trust.

No... there's no way! There's no way! I won't accept this!

As I expected, this scum's very existence is a threat to Nazarick - and Ainz-sama!

"It's not fair, It's not fair, It's not fair, IT'S NOT FAIR!" I wail, slamming my fist into the floor with every word.

"Ainz-sama Ainz-sama AIIIIINZ-SAAAMAAAA!"

I punch, thrash, slice, slam, and ultimately ravage my surroundings, allowing all of my hate-infused mana to surge out of me until I collapse from exhaustion, unable to lift another finger.

The room is a disaster, marred with craters, cracks, and chunks of debris. My bed has been cleaved in two whilst the pillow's corpses lay, brutally eviscerated, with their feathery innards strewn around the room. The carpet's been reduced to scraps, and my dresser lay as a jagged pile of splintered wood.

The only thing that remains in perfect condition, purposefully unsubjected to my rage, is the proud flag of Ainz Ooal Gown - or should I say, Momonga-sama's crest - hanging on the eastern wall. I could never tarnish such a treasure.

My heart weeps for the damage I've inflicted upon the Great Tomb of Nazarick, this room that was so graciously provided to me by the supreme ones: but even that sensation pales in comparison to the burning rage inside of my soul.

Using my axe for support, I slowly rise to my feet and stumble towards the doorway.

That bitch.

"Kill… I'll kill her for sure" I mutter quietly, my voice dripping with malice.

Though I'm sure Ainz-sama would disapprove, it's something that I, as guardian overseer of Nazarick, and Ainz-sama's head wife, sees as an absolute necessity.

This woman is dangerous.

Even if Ainz-sama fails to realize it, I do: she reeks of dishonesty and deception.

Though Ainz-sama may come to hate, despise, and condemn me for it, I must expunge her from this world. I am prepared to accept his wrath with open arms, for the sake of his own safety.

I will NOT stand for this. I won't let her have him. Never. It's my duty to save Ainz-sama from his own blindness.

I loathe to admit it, but I cannot defeat her alone. I will need the assistance of all the other guardians.

But I am certain that, once I explain the situation, they will all understand. There is no room for hesitation or questions when Ainz-sama's well-being is concerned.

After all, it is a guardian's duty to protect the supreme one from any and all danger - even if that danger is himself - no matter what. And with all the guardians gathered together, for the sake of protecting our lord...

I clench my fist tightly.

...We shall not know defeat.


	16. Chapter 16

**In The Flesh**

**A/N: Greetings! I trust everyone is doing well, starting this year off on the right foot, unlike me, who did NOT start off on the right foot with you all (*nervously glances at this story's previous update date*). It has been a long time, much longer than I would've liked, since chapter 15 came out, and I hope you all haven't forgotten about this XD. **

**That being said, thank you for your saint-like patience and enjoy this chapter in all its ridiculous splendour. **

* * *

**Chapter 16: "Making Waves"**

**POV Albedo**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Thank you all for coming," I say, nodding appreciatively towards the individuals surrounding me upon the podium of the fifth floor's colosseum: the usual group, consisting of Demiurge, the twins, Cocytus, Sebas, and Flat-chest.

But then there's also...

"Of course I came in answer to your call Albeeeeeedo-SAN!" An overly-enthusiastic individual cries out in a rhapsodic voice, putting unnecessary emphasis on the last syllable: "for how could I ignore the summonings of the ravishing overseer!" He concludes, striking a lame pose. I feel my left eye begin to twitch just from watching his erratic movements.

"Bleck…" Shalltear quivers in disgust. All the other guardians regard him with similar apprehension and unease… perhaps even pity.

"Er, Albedo-san… why is he here?" Aura asks with a blanched expression, trying her best to ignore the flamboyant poser in her peripheral vision.

I sigh.

"His insight may prove invaluable this time around... Pandora's Actor?" I address the shapeshifting guardian, drawing him from his indecipherable mutterings.

"HAIIIIIII!" He shouts, slapping a hand to his forehead in a salute.

… How can this fool possibly be as intelligent as me or Demiurge? I suppose that's Ainz-sama's creation for you… but still, sometimes I can't help but wonder what the Supreme One was thinking when creating such an… eccentric individual. If it weren't for the fact that Ainz-sama is incapable of making mistakes, I would suspect something must have gone wrong during his conception. What stands before me now can't possibly be what Ainz-sama originally envisioned.

There's no way Ainz-sama could be so lame.

"Invaluable? How so?" Demiurge - the only one unfazed by Pandora's Actor's mannerisms - inquires.

…

Silence.

After succinctly relaying to the guardians everything that she shadow demon had reported, they all fall into a deep train of thought.

"So…" I begin after permitting everyone ample time to internalize what I told them: "do any of you know anything about any of the things I just mentioned?"

"Hmmmm…" Cocytus hums thoughtfully, crossing his two upper arms over his chest.

Demiurge's tail swishes restlessly behind him, but otherwise remains silent. Shalltear's face is scrunched up, her face turning red from mental overexertion, but… I'm sure she won't be of any help. Mare looks as confused as usual, and Aura simply scratches her head. Sebas is standing statue-still, eyes closed - unreadable as usual. As the one who has spent the most time alongside the Supreme Ones along with the Pleiades, it's possible he has heard terms like 'Earth' mentioned in passing.

"Sebas, do you know anything?" I inquire hopefully.

A wrinkle of concentration creases the butler's forehead, and then his eyes flutter open.

"Forgive me, Albedo-san. Nothing you said is ringing any bells," he admits apologetically.

"I see, that's a shame…"

As if the same thought had crossed all of our minds at the same time, all guardians shift their attention towards our last hope. To think, we would have to depend on him of all people after all…

Feeling the weight of our gazes, Ainz's creation lets out a cocky laugh:

"Fufufu... you know, after you finished speaking, I started to remember…" Pandora's Actor begins in an infuriatingly patronizing voice while pulling the brim of his cap down over his eyes.

All the guardians flinch in surprise. Could it be that he knows something after all?

"... What is it, Pandora's Actor?" I ask, feeling an anxious tingle of anticipation journey down my back and through my jittery wings.

All the other guardians gulp earnestly.

"Well, truthfully, it's rather troubling…" the treasury guardian continues ominously.

You could easily hear a pin drop right now, as nobody dares move or speak for fear of disturbing Pandora's Actor's train of thought.

"But I can't be the only one who has noticed…" he begins again, tucking his chin into his jugular notch.

"Does he really need to be so dramatic about it?" Aura whispers impatiently to her brother.

"That-!" P.A continues boisterously, lifting his head up and sweeping his gaze over all the guardians one by one:

"- there are just WAY too many words that don't rhyme with anything!" He declares lamentably.

…

"...huh?" Everyone gasps in bewilderment.

"What… what do you mean, Actor-san?" Demiurge asks.

Ainz-sama's creation begins to shudder violently, so much so that the very ground begins to tremble as well.

"I MEAN, Demiurge-SAN! That there are SO many words that have no strong rhymes! Like the word 'month' for instance. And 'Orange'! Ah, and purple! The more I think, the more I discover, isn't it TRAAAAAAGIC?! For there to be words destined to never pair with another for the sake of euphonic pleasuuuuuuure" He cries, bringing the back of his hand over his eyes as though he were about to faint.

…

_Blink blink._

Ignoring the fact that I never want to hear the word 'pleasure' from Pandora's Actor's mouth ever again...

"What… what does that have to do with anything I just told you?" I ask incredulously.

"Ho ho ho" He laughs arrogantly, gazing around to confidently meet everyone's expectant gazes: "well, I'm glad you asked, Albedo-san… for you see..!" He trails off for the umpteenth time, but this time also throws his arms high above his head as though addressing a higher power:

"THERE IS NO CONNECTION!" He announces.

…

Everyone's jaw drops in complete dumbfoundedness. Not even Sebas' stoic mask could withstand such a powerful blow.

"Albedo-san." Cocytus suddenly asks in a deadpan tone, raising his halberd into the air.

"Yes, Cocytus," I ask in an equally inflectionless tone.

"Should… should I…" he begins while staring murderously at Pandora's actor.

"AH!" P.A shrieks, pointing frantically at Cocytus' raised blade: "'Silver'! That's another word without a strong rhyme! Ohhhhh, woeful days!" He wails despairingly, shaking his fists towards the sky - completely oblivious to his impending execution.

And for a second, the image of Pandora's Actor's severed head flying through the air gives me an almost cathartic consolation.

"No, you'd best not. He is a valuable member of Nazarick after all… and Ainz-sama's creation no less" I tell Cocytus.

"I...I. Wonder. About. That…" Cocytus trails off, letting out a frustrated whistle of cold air. Slowly, begrudgingly, and with a GREAT deal of effort, he eventually lowers his halberd to his side - though I can still see him gripping it tightly.

"Pandora's Actor-san…" Sebas whispers in a low tone, placing a hand on the shapeshifter's shoulder.

_**squeeze**__._

"What is it Sebastiaaaaaaaa-ah? Um, ah, Sebas, that-that hurts, your grip, it's ow ow OWWWWW!" he howls, contorting wildly in place.

"We are trying to have an important conversation, so if you could keep your irrelevant ponderings to yourself, that would be **much**_**-**_"

_**Squuuuuueze.**_

"_**-**_**Appreciated"**

"Ahoooooo! I-I-I understaaaaaaand!" He yelps, before Sebas finally releases him.

"Oi, do you think maybe he's gone crazy after being by himself in the treasury all the time?" Aura whispers not-so-inconspicuously to Mare.

"Ehehe… m-maybe…" the druid mutters half-heartedly.

_FOOM!_

Startled by the sudden shadow looming over them, both dark elves flinch in surprise.

Pandora's Actor leans down to their eye level:

"I AM NOT LONELY!" He shouts indignantly before whirling around and pirouetting several metres away:

"That's exactly what someone who was insecure about their loneliness would say..." Aura points out reproachfully.

"Aside from me-!" Pandora's Actor begins, ignoring the dark elf's comment: "I am always in the company of myself and I!" He declares poetically.

" 'Me, myself, and I', is it…" Sebas repeats in a quiet, almost depressed voice.

"I think you hit the nail right on the head with your original assessment, Aura…" Demiurge mutters, shaking his head sympathetically.

"Creepy..." Aura, ever the upfront personality, candidly vocalizes our collective judgement with a look of disgust.

"C-creepy?!" The lonely guardian recoils: "Oh, b-but there's also the statues! Yes, the statues, you see!" He prattles defensively: "they're great company, for not only are they built in exact likeness to the Supreme Ones, they're also great listeners and-!"

"Pfffft-!"

Pandora's Actor's head does a nauseating 180-degree turn (is he an owl or something?) to face the source of stifled laughter.

"Oh-!" Shalltear gasps, feigning embarrassment by daintily covering her mouth with her hand:

"Don't get the wrong idea, Pandora's Actor-san! I'm sure that the statues… are… great… company!" She concludes in a hysterical tone, just barely able to squeak out the final word before turning away with puffed-out cheeks, straining to contain her laughter.

"Surely you don't all-!" Pandora's actor begins, sweeping his desperate gaze over everyone again. But this time, nobody has the heart to meet his eyes, not even me. Aura takes a sudden interest in the sky and whistles out a generic melody, Sebas respectfully declines the invitation to make eye contact by looking to the floor and coughing into his hand. Mare anxiously looks to her feet and begins fiddling with her staff. Cocytus and I are less tactful, and simply shake our heads disapprovingly as his eyes fall on us.

And although we all have different avoidance tactics, we all have the same pitiful smile plastered onto our faces.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh…" the shapeshifter lets out a crestfallen sigh, quite literally deflating as he collapses to the ground in silence: realizing that to say anything more would only exacerbate his situation.

Not that my opinion of him could fall much lower than it already has, though…

"Hmm..." I hum impatiently. What a waste of time. Nobody knows anything after all.

I clench a fist. Without knowing more, there's nothing we can do… to act with such little information, and absolutely no condemning proof of Lenora's intentions, would be too great a risk. There would be no justification.

"Fear not, Lady Albedo: we will all give it some more thought. Between all of us, I'm sure that - no matter how esoteric the knowledge - we'll figure something out. At the very least, there must be some information within Nazarick's library regarding 'Earth'" Sebas offers consolingly, sensing my unease.

I offer him a melancholic smile: "Yes, of course…"

Though for some reason, I doubt even Nazarick's library will-

"Hmm? Earth, you say? I know a thing or two about thaaaaat!" Pandora's Actor suddenly pipes up, ostensibly over his depression.

…

"Eh?" Six collective voices gasp out. P.A looks around at everyone in genuine confusion:

"What? Earth IS what you all want to know about, right?"

"...Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Aura groans, shoulders slumped in exasperation/

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING EARLIER?!" Shalltear hisses.

"Eh? Well, now that is a good question… ah! It was because I got so hung up on finding a word that would rhyme with it, of course! And you'll be happy to know that I did! 'BIRTH'!" He reveals proudly.

In the corner of my eye, I see Cocytus discretely raise his halberd again while looking to me for approval: I shake my head, and after some strenuous deliberation, he quietly lowers his weapon with a regretful _hiss _of cold air.

Alright, these shenanigans have gone on long enough. We've wasted enough time.

"Nevermind your idiocy, Pandora's Actor. Tell us what you know about 'Earth'" I spit out harshly.

P.A tilts his head to the side, apparently miffed by what he must deem as an unwarranted insult. But quite frankly, I don't care.

"Ahem, yes, pardon me," he starts in an uncharacteristically 'normal' volume:

"I can confirm that 'Earth' is in fact Ainz-sama's homeworld," He corroborates in a refreshingly serious tone.

Finally, it almost feels like I can have a meaningful conversation with him.

"First, let me just say: my knowledge of Earth is limited at best," he warns, raising a spindly pointer finger for emphasis: "I know only that which pertains to my creation".

"Your creation?" Demiurge asks in a curious tone.

"Indeed," He assures, waving his hand slowly over his uniform: "for you see, my attire is based off of the uniforms that were worn by the soldiers of one of Earth's mightiest kingdoms: DEUTSCHLAAAAAAAND!" He shouts wildly, completely shattering the serious persona he was just beginning to cultivate:

"Ahem, I mean… 'Germany'" He corrects himself after taking a deep breath.

"... And this 'Germany', is that where Ainz-sama comes from?" I ask.

All the other guardians are listening intently, unblinkingly, completely invested in the conversation. After all, any piece of information regarding the Supreme One's past - that which allows us to feel more connected to and understand his greatness - is a cherished asset that nobody would pass up.

"Unfortunately, I cannot say for sure, but I'd say it's a strong possibility," he affirms with a resolute nod: "during the point in Earth's history from which my attire and certain mannerisms are based on, Germany was in fact Earth's strongest kingdom. The soldiers of Germany at that time were called 'Nazis', and sought WORLD DOMINAAAAATION!"

"So then, perhaps Ainz-sama was the ruler of these 'Nazis', and thus the Supreme Ruler of Germany?" Demiurge suggests.

"Of course he was! Obviously, Ainz-sama was the greatest Nazi ever!" Shalltear assures excitedly, her cheeks flushing bright red.

And even though she is in no position to so brazenly confirm something she herself is only just learning about now, nobody can disagree with her.

"As expected of Anz-sama!" Aura cheers with a wide grin, to which all the guardians nod their heads in concurrence.

I feel a smile of my own blossoming as well. Oh Ainz-saaaaama….

"It. Does. Not. Matter. Where. Or. When, Ainz-sama. Will. Always. Achieve. The. Pinnacle. Of. Greatness" Cocytus booms proudly, slamming the end of his halberd into the floor - obviously, hearing tales of his Lord's historic conquests has ignited his fighting spirit.

For a few moments, we all remain silent, simply admiring our Lord's greatness with giddy expressions.

"So what kind of place is Earth? What kinds of magic and technology existed?" Demiurge finally interrupts, drawing everyone back from their daydreaming.

"Extremely powerful magic!" P.A confirms excitedly: "There existed magic known has 'nuclear bombs', 'napalm strike', and 'ballistic missiles'! Spells capable of utterly annihilating all life for miles and miles!" He explains, opening his arms wide.

"Oooooooh!" Everyone cheers happily.

"Perhaps even more impressive," he continues: "Earth was also very advanced technologically: weapons like CZ-Delta-san's - and much more powerful variants - were commonplace, and didn't require any mana. Similarly, there were modes of transportation called 'planes' and 'tanks' that allowed people to fly, or launch explosive attacks that didn't require any mana at all," He concludes.

"A-amazing…" Demiurge stammers in bewilderment.

There are only five words that can hope to justify our awe in this situation, which leaks quietly from my parted lips:

"As expected of Ainz-sama…".

"Mhmm!" Aura beams happily.

"L-learning so much about Ainz-sama makes me feel really… w-warm" Mare admits bashfully.

"Y-yes…" I agree breathlessly - though I doubt the 'warmth' Mare feels is the same as my own, I think, as I squirm in place, rubbing my legs together in order to quell the growing heat in my loins.

-!

I fear I may have gotten a little sidetracked...

So where exactly does this leave us? Sure we've learned a lot about Ainz-sama, which I am of course elated about, but… in regards to Lenora, and her connection to Ainz - or rather 'Suzuki' - we don't know anything more.

I guess there's one thing I should try and confirm first…

"Pandora's actor, is 'Suzuki' a title of some sort used for someone of high status in Germany?" I inquire.

"I was wondering the same thing, actually…" Demiurge chimes in.

" 'Suzuki'? Hmm, I've never heard of such a thing… though as I said before, my knowledge of 'Earth' is comprised of only what was transcribed into my character - in other words, matters of war and power. I know nothing of the more specific, finer social or political nuances, " he affirms forlornly with a regretful bow.

I click my tongue in mild annoyance. Knowing exactly what 'Suzuki' means would likely reveal his relationship to Lenora. If it were in fact a title of status, then we could assume that Lenora was a Nazi as well and served under him. If Suzuki is actually Ainz-sama's past name, then it implies a more intimate history….

I silently clench my fists, blood on the verge of boiling.

"Oi, Pandora's Actor-san" Aura pipes up in a demanding tone: "why'd you keep all this to yourself for all this time?"

"Well, none of you ever asked," the shapeshifter snorts bitterly.

"No fair! How were any of us supposed to ask you about something we didn't know about! Not to mention the fact that we hardly ever see you…" the tomboy pouts.

"Well, maybe if you'd come visit me sometimes, I would've told you at some point!"

"I-I thought you said earlier that you weren't lonely…" Mare butts in, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

"I'm not!"

"Right, because after all, you have all your… statues, right-?" Shalltear begins, but her composure immediately crumbles and gives way to demeaning laughter again before she can finish.

As I watch the other guardians' lighthearted squabbling with a hint of amusement, Demiurge quietly shuffles up to my side. He says nothing at first - merely stands beside me with his hands clasped behind his back with a slight grin etched on his angular face.

"What is it, Demiurge?" I ask without turning to face him.

"Surely this meeting hasn't left you completely satisfied with things, right?"

"..."

The demon's lips curl upwards slightly further before continuing in a voice just above a whisper:

"I'm sure I don't need to ask this, but… your concern for Lenora is not contrived from some love-induced paranoia, is it?"

-!

"Demiurge-!" I hiss angrily.

"Rest assured, I know that isn't the case," he quickly adds in a neutral tone - neither reassuring nor sarcastic: "you'll be happy to know that I share your concerns".

I arch an eyebrow skeptically and fight off the urge to roll my eyes.

"And I suppose you have a plan of some sort to determine Lenora's true agenda?"

"Of course: and it's laughably simple, really. Though give yourself some credit, Albedo-san. I would not have thought of this plan so quickly were it not for you" he muses cryptically.

"Me..?" I begin, but shut my mouth before continuing: no need to humour the seventh-floor guardian's ego:

"When can it be put it into action and what do you need me to do?" I ask straightforwardly.

"Hmm? Oh no, neither you nor I need to do anything. And as to when it can be accomplished…" he trails off momentarily, pushing his glasses up against his forehead:

"...Why not right now?"

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Come on Suzuki, the water is heavenly!" Jade calls out to me from within the mixed-gender bath area.

I, still within the changing and washing area, call back to her in a panic:

"C-coming!"

I stare down at my bare body, feeling terribly uncomfortable and self-conscious. How did I allow things to end up like this..?

Deep breath, calm down Suzuki. She just thinks this is my avatar after all - if I just act natural, once I'm submerged, my nakedness will be a non-issue.

I peer around the corner of the change room's exit - to see Jade happily floating on her back with an expression of absolute bliss.

Okay, next time she turns away or goes underwater, I'll make my move and-

Now!

Just as she dips her head underwater, I speed-walk, very stiffly, towards the bath. If I were to go any faster, I would trigger Lucifer's golem.

My heart skips a beat as I see Jade's head begin to bob back up.

Just a few more steps, please let me make it-!

"Pah!" The angel exhales contentedly as she surfaces with a wide grin.

_Splish!_

Just as she brushes the vermillion strands of hair out of her face and wipes at her eyes, I manage to get my lower half underwater. Her purple gaze fixes on me with a mix of surprise and delight at my sudden appearance.

"Jeez, you finally made it! what took you so long?" She asks, wading nonchalantly towards me.

"Er… it just took a while to remove all my equipment, you see…" I lie.

Jade arches an eyebrow skeptically and flashes a humorous grin, but shrugs her shoulders a moment later.

"I see, I see… but seriously, this bathhouse is absolutely grand! I've never seen anything like it before!" She beams: "but was all of this really necessary for a virtual world? Did you and your guildmates bathe together often?" She inquires with an ever-so-slightly judgmental tone.

"Ah, no, we rarely ever bathed together. The few times we did, it was never more than a handful of us at a time. But, well, I guess our Japanese blood just couldn't allow us to construct such a grandiose guild without an equally opulent bathhouse" I offer thoughtfully, leaning my head back against the wall of the tub.

"Ah, so you're Japanese after all, I thought so!" Jane cries triumphantly, slapping the water in front of her with a fist in an _a-ha! _Motion.

"Hmm? Of course I'm Japanese, what else could you have thought I was?"

"Ehehe… well, I feel bad, but I was rather torn on whether you were Japanese, Korean, or Chinese…" she admits, scratching the back of her head apologetically.

I feel my right eye twitch indignantly.

"You actually couldn' tell..?" I ask in astonishment. Seriously, I might've been able to forgive her mistaking me for a Korean, but a Chinese?! Not even close!

Jade giggles embarrassedly.

"Sorry, I can't help it if I'm just an uncultured Brittish girl!" She exclaims sincerely after noticing my sour expression.

"Ah, so then you're British, are you? That explains everything," I offer coyly, trying to keep my mouth from furling into a grin.

"Aha! See! So you didn't know what nationality I was either! Let me guess, you just thought I was 'European' and left it at that, right!?" She shouts accusingly, leaning forward to jam a finger into my chest.

…

"W-well, I mean technically I'm right, you are European, so…" I stammer defensively, feeling unjustly called out.

"Eeeeeegh!" Jade wails, mimicking the sound of a buzzer while crossing her arms in an X: "Hypocrite! That's not nearly precise enough! If that's what you think, then I was at LEAST as right as you were, because I knew you were Asian!" She declares smugly, crossing her arms over her modest chest while glaring down at me triumphantly.

"That's-!" I begin, but my voice catches as I struggle to think of a counterargument.

...

We stare intently at each other for a few silent moments, until -

"Pffft-!"

"Ahahaha!" We both erupt with laughter at the same time.

"Oh Suzuki, I'm so happy I met you! I was just about at my wit's end in the Baharuth Empire!" She gushes, flopping onto her back, shamelessly exposing the front of her body above the water's service. I feel my cheeks flare up and look away.

"M-me too…" I trail off, concentrating on keeping my gaze from straying.

They're definitely bigger than Shalltear's, but quite a bit smaller than Albedo's or Lupusregina's… so I guess they're about B cups? In a world where it seems every girl is either ridiculously well-endowed or as flat as an ironing board, they're kinda refreshingly attractive...

What a gross train of thought! I'm as bad as Peroroncino-san!

"Hmm? You're awfully red in the face Ainz, is the heat already getting to you?" Jade asks with genuine concern, lifting her head up to look at me through her cleavage

"E-er… perhaps that is the case, yes".

How can she be so oblivious?! Has she no shame?! Even if she considers her current body as simply an avatar, I think this goes beyond the scopes of decency afforded by that rationale!

"Hohhh? And here I was thinking the Japanese, known for their baths, would have a higher tolerance for this kind of thing!" She points out in an unnecessarily gloating tone - but then suddenly, (thankfully, as her body becomes submerged from the neck down), she bolts upright and regards me worriedly:

"Wait, you're not getting out yet, are you?! We've barely started talking!" She cries frantically, suddenly reaching out and grabbing my hand under the churning water.

…

Or at least I'm sure that's what she meant to grab.

My jaw drops for an instant before I clamp it shut, biting my lower lip to stop myself from gasping in surprise.

Jane's face turns blank for a moment, and she blinks in confusion, undoubtedly baffled by my 'hand''s perplexingly cylindrical shape and lack of fingers.

At her mercy, I can't bring myself to even utter a word, much less move.

"Um, Jade..." I manage to sputter out.

Only then, finally, does reality seem to sink in for her, causing her to slowly look up at me, her face reddening more and more by the second. Locked in the most awkwardly intense staring competition, I feel her slowly, in a very deliberate motion, release my 'hand'.

"I d-d-d-didn't mean! I-I-I j-just-!" She stammers incoherently, her face a deeper red than her hair now.

"W-were you looking for t-this?" I joke quietly, determined to not let things get unsalvagably awkward, while raising my right hand out of the water and waving it towards her.

Jade slinks away from me for several metres and, not knowing what to do or what to say, shrinks down into the foamy water right up to her violet eyes. Only then does she furtively glance my way before nodding slowly, clenching her eyes shut in embarrassment.

After an agonizingly long bout of silence, Jade reluctantly lifts her head up out of the water.

"S-sorry…"

"I-it's fine…"

More silence.

"Um, Suzuki…" she ventures cautiously.

"What is it..?"

"Could we, maybe, just forget about what just happened..?" She pleads, retreating deeper into the water as soon as the last word had left her mouth.

Hearing her words, the thought of eliminating her memory with a spell crosses my mind - but I immediately discount it. Though it would easily dispel our current awkwardness, I don't feel comfortable manipulating another player like that, even if she consented. From player to player, I'd rather resolve any issues more organically. After all, back on Earth, that's what would need to be done.

So instead, I offer a pleasant smile.

"Forget about what, exactly?" I ask rhetorically, feigning confusion.

"Oh_blub_Thank_blub_God", I hear her mutter quietly from a half-submerged mouth.

_Sploosh!_

I recoil in surprise as warm water sprays across my face as Jade practically bursts from the water's surface, now standing with a wide grin on her face.

"Wonderful! So then-!" She chatters excitedly, placing her hands firmly on her hips with no regard to the bareness of her chest.

How can someone be so shameless with regards to their own body, yet at the same time become extremely bashful on behalf of someone else's?! I have half a mind to call her out on her inconsistency, but decide against it considering we had just agreed to move on from the subject.

"- Ah, I know! So, Suzuki, how old are you?"

Has it been long enough for my birthday to have come and gone since coming here? Ah, I'll just assume it hasn't.

"I'm 29. How about you?"

Silence.

"Jade?"

More silence.

"It's not a trick question… or is this perhaps a matter of how you should never ask a woman her age? If that's the case, then-"

"Sixteen…" she quietly whispers with a blank expression.

"Eh?"

Did I… hear that correctly. Sixteen… as in… 1, 6… as in 10+6? As in -

**Under 18?!**

My jaw drops, like a floodgate lowering to allow scalding water to crash into the back of my throat. I gag unceremoniously.

"Y-you're… younger than I thought you'd be" I say lamely, wiping away the mixture of water and spit from my lips. My 'hand' throbs guiltily as this adds a whole new flavour of awkwardness and inappropriateness to what just transpired.

"W-well you're older than I thought you'd be!" She retorts childishly with an expression reflecting a peculiar mix of guilt and anger - perhaps the shame she feels for having flaunted her body so openly to a man nearly twice her age. I could almost be her uncle for God's sake...

I quietly analyze her complexion, now keeping her age in mind, and notice for the first time not the features of a woman: but those of a girl. What I originally mistook for refined prettiness and feminine allure, I now see, in those violet eyes and those petulantly puffed out cheeks, a distinct youthfulness: one that is always, inevitably, lost during the full transition into womanhood. Looking at her now, my heart is filled with the same warmth that manifests when I look at Aura or Mare.

Just then, she notices my staring and whips her head towards me with a skeptical scowl.

"W-what?" She asks in a snappy, flustered tone - high in pitch, worried and annoyed, like how I would imagine a typical self-conscious teenager - and let's face it, they all are - would react to catching one of their parents gazing at them fondly, simply admiring their own creation.

"Oh nothing," I reply with an ambiguous smile, in a parent-like fashion.

"W-well then quit staring… jeez… you weird old guy..." she replies appropriately.

After enjoying the tender quietness for a while longer, I decide to move on as something dawns on me:

"Wait a minute. If you're only 16 now, and you have such a high-level character, just when did you start playing?" I ask curiously.

Yggdrasil is, of course, an M rated game. Technically, she shouldn't even be playing it now - not that I'm so naive as to believe that anyone actually abides by the ratings, but still. With what she's got, she must've been playing since close to launch day, which means she would've been about -

"Hmmm, I think I was six the first time I played?" She says nonchalantly, before frowning when she notices my expression: "what?"

"That's… a little young, don't you think?"

"... yeah, I guess so…" she replies in a strangely solemn tone, smiling bittersweetly at her own reflection in the water's surface. I get the feeling there's a story to be told there, but she obviously doesn't want to discuss it right now. After many bumps and hitches, the atmosphere between us has finally stabilized. I'd hate to ruin it… so I guess I'll have to let it go for now.

"So on Earth, I suppose you were still in high school?" I reason, changing the topic.

"No. University, actually," she replies, raising her chin up proudly without a single trace of the sadness she had just donned.

"... Now I'm no mathematician, but that doesn't quite add up".

"Hoh hoh hoh… well, if you must know, I'm actually-" she pauses, bringing two dripping fingers in the shape of a crooked V over her right eye as if she were some idol of sorts: "-an exceptionally, intellectually gifted individual!"

exceptionally humble as well, apparently...

"I-is that so?" Is all I dare to say, unsure as to whether or not she is joking or completely serious.

"Hey! What's with the doubtful tone, huh?! You don't believe me? I'll have you know I have an IQ of 154!" She pouts irately.

"R-really?" I stammer in an unconvinced tone.

This girl? With an IQ comparable to Einstein's?

…

No way. Absolutely impossible. If anything, I had thought her to perhaps be a bit on the lower side of that spectrum…

I notice her eyeing me intently, perhaps awaiting my final judgement.

"I… find that hard to believe," I admit.

"Urk-! Why does nobody ever believe me in the beginning?! I was studying aeronautics at Cambridge! You know, not every genius is a socially awkward introvert with the emotional IQ of a rock!"

I think I've actually heard of Cambridge before... and aeronautics, that has to do with rocket ships and whatnot right?

"I-I suppose that's true…" I concede halfheartedly - but the more I look at her, and hear her speak, the less believable it seems.

"Oi, Oi, Suzukiiiiiiiii!" She whines, wading closer to me: "if you have an IQ test or something lying around, I'd be happy to do it right now in front of you to prove it!"

"Oh well in that case, let me just reach into my pocket dimension and grab one".

"Y-you actually have one?!" She exclaims, her eyes brimming with fiery conviction.

"Of course: who doesn't have an IQ test on them at all times? You never know when an emergency situation might call for one," I explain while reaching into my inventory to withdraw a piece of paper. I offer it to Jade, and she snatches it greedily from my hand before wading over to the side of the bath. For a second, I watch her with amused confusion - is she merely playing along? There's no way such blatant sarcasm was lost on her... right?

Finally, she flips the page over.

"Alright, I'll prove you wrong ri- huh?"

"What's wrong?" I ask innocently.

"Is... is this really it?" She asks with ostensibly genuine confusion, flipping the page over and over as if hoping to find a hidden third side.

"What do you mean? Everything is right there: go on now Mrs. 154" I joke.

"But all it says is 'Gullible' in big bold letters, what am I-"

She whirls around to face me.

"Oh..." She squeaks quietly, burning bright red upon noticing my smirk.

"Do you still claim to have as high an IQ as you said?" I throw out dubiously.

"N-not funny! And yes I do: I'll prove it somehow! More importantly: why in the world did you even have a sheet of paper with nothing on it except the word 'gullible'?!" She shrieks in frustration, crumpling the piece of paper and throwing it away.

"Oh I don't know, maybe because the author had a lame joke in mind but was too lazy to think of a clever way to make it work?"

_Blink blink._

"H-huh?"

"Nevermind. Anyway, I don't know why you just threw that paper away: you were supposed to find the next letter that would logically follow the sequence G-U-L-L-I-B-L-E _?" I pose in an exaggeratedly snobby tone

"NOT FUNNY!" She cries, and with a quick push, splashes a large wave of water towards me.

_Drip, drip._

"Hoh? If you think you can get away with splashing the great Ainz Ooal Gown, you're sorely mistaken!" I hiss in a deep voice, pointing a finger towards her. A moment later a miniature blue glyph appears at my fingertip. Jade's eyes widen frightfully.

"W-wait, now hold on a second Suzu-!"

"[Water Bullet]!" I shout out, casting the second-tier spell.

_SPLAT!_

A round pellet of dense water strikes her square in the forehead, causing her to stagger back while clutching at her head.

"Ow! You bloody bastard, that's dirty!" She howls.

"There's no such thing as 'fair' or 'dirty' in a battle to the death".

"A battle to the death, is it? Well, I don't remember agreeing to such a thing, but if you think the Heavenly Sovereign of Light, Lenora, will back down from a mere Overlord's challenge, then feel my wrath!" She cries with a devious grin, lowering a hand to just above the water's surface. A radiant white glyph fills her palm.

My eyes widen. From the looks of that glyph, it's at least a sixth tier spell! Don't tell me it's-!

"[Repulsion]!" She chants, and the light of her magic engulfs the bathhouse:

KRAKOOM!

An invisible force - typically used either to repel a swarm of enemies to create a buffer space, or repel projectile attacks - sends a veritable tidal wave my direction.

"[Siren's Barrier]!" I cry out, conjuring forth a teal bubble to surround me. The barrier, specializing in providing defence against water or fire attacks, doesn't even flicker as hundreds of pounds of water slam into it with the force of a sixth tier spell.

"And what do you suppose I do in this situation when you have full immunity to water?! No barriers, you big chicken!" Jade insists.

"Ahaha! Winners don't need to abide by the rules of the losers!" I cackle evilly from within my barrier, raising my hand to launch another counterattack:

"[Poseidon's wr-]!" I begin to cast, only to be interrupted by a strange noise.

_Vrrrrrrrrrr!_

"_Violations detected. To not know the proper etiquette means you have no right to enter the bath. Prepare to be exterminated," _A deep, male voice echos out, as Lucifer's bath golem whirs to life, locking its glowing eyes on us while descending from its pedestal.

"W-what the hell is that Suzuki?!" Jade stammers, retreating to my side.

I slap my forehead. I can't believe I had forgotten. How inexcusably careless of me...

"It's the lion golem I told you about earlier," I mutter in an exasperated voice.

"W-what do we do?"

"_Targets Acquired. Initiating 'Extermination of Uncultured Swine' Sequence_"

"U-uncultured swine?!" Jade exclaims angrily, even going so far as taking a confrontational step towards the golem with a fiery glint in her eyes.

"Suzuki, how strong is that thing!" She demands. It seems she won't be willing to back down...

"It's not that strong, really. It's more of a joke created by one of my friends. Though its power cannot be completely discounted when we don't have proper equipment. It's level 80, and as a golem, it boasts defensive parameters, particularly magic resistance, higher than even most level 90 creatures" I describe.

"So magic won't work well then? Cool, then I'll finish it in one blow!"

"Eh? Without a weapon?"

"You support me and I'll smash it with my fists! You know buffing spells, don't you?"

'do you know buffing spells?'. That has got to be the most insulting thing I, as the wild card Ainz Ooal Gown, have ever heard.

"Of course I do!"

The golem takes a step forward and the ground trembles under its weight. A foreboding light begins to gather in its eyes, as it charges up its eighth-tier [laser cannon].

"Well go on then! Do your thing!" Jane encourages me with a grin while assuming a combative stance.

With nothing else to do, I click my tongue and raise a hand towards Jane.

"[Triple Maximize Magic: [Fleet Footwork]. [Maximize Strength]. [Bludegoning Boost]. [Unstoppable Force]. [Immovable]. [Body of Effulgent Beryl]. [Saving Grace]. [Negate Magic Damage: Once]. [Mantle of Protection]. [Greater Luck]..." I chant in a fluid, practiced rhythm. The words had left my mouth instinctively, naturally, without so much as a single conscious thought, tickling a nostalgic itch within the deeeper recesses of my mind. Jade watches me, as I cycle through a dozen spells in a matter of seconds, with glyphs disappearing in my palm as quickly as they appeared to make room for the next, imbuing her with a myriad of colourful auras.

She looks down at her hands and flexes her fingers in amazement.

"That was... impressive" She mutters in disbelief.

"_Charge Sequence Complete. Firing" _The lion-shaped golem announces.

"Go!" I shout, and Jade nods before surging forward. I'm sure she would've been fast even without my buffs thanks to her natural stats, but now, she can barely be tracked by the naked eye.

_TCHUUUUUU!_

Two beams of light shoot discharge from the golem at frightening speed, screaming through the crackling air.

Kra-koom!

The [laser cannon] slams into Jade, and a giant cloud of black smoke and bursting embers erupt from the point of contact. But a moment later, Jade emerges from the smog, completely unfazed. [Negate Magic Damage: Once] had triggered to block any damage, while [Unstoppable Force] negated the knockback force and allowed her to maintain her momentum.

_Badump Badump Badump!_

My heart roars powerfully in my chest. This feeling, this rush! Of fighting alongside another player, this is exactly what I've missed for so long!

"Haaaaaaaaaah!" Jade bellows, winding her fist back and leaping into the air towards the golem's face.

_Fwooooom!_

The golem swings its mighty paw with a speed betraying its size in an attempt to swat the incoming attacker away.

Not good enough, I think to myself with a smile.

[Body of Effulgent Berryl] Activates just as the hunk of metal crashes into Jade's blindside, nullifying the damage. And this time, [Immovable] Negates the knockback.

_BOOOOOOOM!_

Jade's haymaker slams into the side of the golem's face with devastating force, caving its entire face in and sending a wave of steel shrapnel in all directions. While the head was completely obliterated, the metal torso soars through the air, crashing into the wall of the bathhouse over a hundred metres away, before crumpling to ground as a useless, smoking heap of unrecognizable scrap metal.

"_E-rror. E-rror. Critical System Failuuu-uuuuu-ure..._" I distorted voice rings out from some part of the golem's corpse before dying off

Jade lands gracefully to the ground and whirls around, beaming happily.

"Woohoo! We won!" She declares unnecessarily.

I smile back. Though at the same time...

I glance towards the smoking pile of metallic debirs.

I can't help but feel this was a pyrrhic victory...

**POV Lupusregina.**

Not knowing what to do after Ainz-sama had left, I had set out to thoroughly clean the entire 9th floor - taking extra care with Ainz-sama's room, which had been much dirtier than usual because of the… incident earlier.

I blush profusely, recalling what I had walked in on this morning. Ainz-sama standing next to his bed, with nothing on…

My heart skips a beat. A-ah, what am I thinking all of a sudden?!

"There! All done!" I exclaim partly in self-satisfaction, and partly in order to forcibly cut my own train of thought.

I take a step back, admiring the fruits of my labour - Ainz-sama's throne, which I just finished polishing. I won't allow even a single speck of dust to sully its lustre!

Still, it looks quite empty without the Supreme One… truly, it is its connection to Ainz-sama and his inspiring radiance that gives this throne its beauty. While reflecting on my Lord, my ears suddenly perk up, detecting the sound of footsteps approaching the throne-room entrance. I lift my nose to the air and draw in quick, measured sniffs.

Two people… one is unfamiliar, but the other is... Ainz-sama!

My heart begins to race wildly. I do a quick look-over of my self and run my hands down the sides of my uniform to smooth it out. I hope I look ok… ah they're almost here!

With nimble agility, I cross the length of the throne room in a mere second and heave the door open.

"Welcome, Ainz-sama!" I exclaim cheerfully, lowering my head dutifully.

"Ahaha-!"

"Ehehe-!"

My reception cuts into a duet of laughter. Ainz-sama's rich, deep tone makes my heart swell… the other…

My eyes widen in surprise before squinting discerningly.

"This must be..?" I trail off hesitantly

"Ah, yes. Lupusregina, this is Ja- I mean, Lenora. Why do you look so surprised? Did you not hear about her?" The Supreme one inquires concernfully.

"Y-yes, I received Albedo-san's alert, but…" I trail off, unable to tear my eyes away from this pretty, smiling face.

"Lupusregina… it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance" the angel begins warmly with a nod, extending a gauntlet out towards me.

For some reason, her voice irks me to an irrational extent. By all accounts, it's a fruity, soothing tone with no fault.

"Likewise!" I reply cheerfully, forcing a playful grin on my face before locking hands with her.

-!

A chill runs down my spine, and I fight off the urge to retract my hand.

Bleck… silver armor, huh?

"Is something wrong..?" The paladin asks - the concern in her voice enough to make my skin crawl.

"Ah, it must be because Lupusregina's of the werewolf race, so your silver armor is a rather unpleasant thing for her, even just to touch… forgive me Lupusregina, I had not considered that" Ainz-sama explains with a regretful not.

"N-no it's no big deal at all, I hardly noticed!"

"In any case, I'm sorry as well. I hope this won't leave you with a bad first impression of me…" Lenora says.

"N-no, not at all! You're a full-fledged resident of Nazarick now: if Ainz-sama trusts you, then you must be a good person!" I reason with a dismissive wave of my hands - though even as I say that, I take extra time to thoroughly ingrain her scent in my head, categorizing it as 'suspicious/dangerous'. Her scent is rather indistinct though… but then again, so is Ainz-sama's actually. That would explain why it took me a second to recognize it...

I squint my eyes again. Both of them have damp hair, a healthy sheen to their skin, and flushed expressions. Don't tell me… they were just at the bath?!

But surely not together… right? It must be just a coincidence, right?

Inexplicably, this realization sends an uneasy discomfort through my chest, and I can't stop myself from looking between the two of them.

"Er, is something the matter, Lupusregina?" Ainz-sama asks.

"Huh?" I gasp, blinking myself back to reality - only just realizing that I've been standing smack-dab in the middle of the half-opened doorway, effectively preventing them from entering. I feel my face begin to heat up.

"F-forgive me, Ainz-sama!" I explain, pushing the doors further apart and stepping to the side before dropping to my knee shamefully. I'm such an idiot!

"It's quite alright, don't worry about it," he assures while stepping past me. Lenora quickly follows suit - and, much to my astonishment, she matches his stride and walks next to him, side-by-side.

Who does she think she is, strutting beside him as if they were equals?!

Just as I rise to my feet and open my mouth to say something admonishing to put her in her place-

"This is..?" The Supreme One suddenly hums thoughtfully, stopping suddenly in front of his throne.

I gulp. What's wrong? Did… did I perhaps miss a spot?!

"Forgive me, Ainz-sama!" I cry out preemptively, dropping to one knee again.

"Hmm? Forgive you? For what?" He asks curiously.

"Did you not just stop because you noticed something wrong with your throne..?" I guess, hating the fact that my voice had grown quieter with each word.

"Ah, no, that's not it at all. Quite the opposite, in fact -" he pauses, running a hand slowly over one of the armrests: "I was simply admiring how clean it looks. It was your doing, correct?" He explains.

My eyes widen.

"You... actually noticed, Ainz-sama?"

"Hmm? Of course I did. I take note of all the hard work any of my subordinates do. Thank you for your continued efforts. Continue to work hard for me," he says with a gracious nod, causing my heart to flutter joyfully. A smile, more genuine than 99% of those that shape my lips, blossoms on my face.

He actually notices such minute detail? Truly, Ainz-sama is the most benevolent, caring, and considerate Ruler the world has ever known.

"I will, Ainz-sama!" I exclaim in a tremulous voice, quaking ecstatically.

"Umu. Anyway, it's getting late and I… we've had an eventful day. Lenora and I will be retiring for the evening. You may return to your quarters, Lupusregina," Ainz-sama says before beginning to walk towards his quarters, Lenora trailing close behind him.

"A-ah, of course, Ainz-sama…" I mumble quietly, unsure of what to say as I helplessly watch him slip away.

"Hah, I'm pooped!" I hear Lenora explain, in a perplexingly less dignified voice than when she had just spoken to me.

"Well, whose fault is that? I suggested we should retreat: you were the one who obstinately demanded we battle the golem…" Ainz-retorts.

"After it called us 'uncultured swine'? I think not! And boy it felt good to cave that thing's face in! Good buffing!"

"Yes, well, what you lack in brains you certainly make up for in brawn" Ainz-sama points out bitingly.

By now, their forms have retreated beyond the bend in the hall and out of sight - were it not for my keen sense of hearing, I wouldn't be able to hear them right now.

"Urk-! L-like I said, I'll prove myself to you one day!" I hear Lenora cry indignantly.

"Uh huh. Well, for now, Mrs. 154, how about you focus on finding a way to repay me for the 5,000,000 gold it took to fully repair Lucifer's golem…"

Finally, they're strayed too far for even me to hear them anymore.

My ears droop against the top of my head dejectedly. Though I can't say I understand what they were talking about, it sounds like they had a fun day together. And they speak so closely, so casually with one another! How can that be?

Once again, anger surges through me. How can she interact so casually with the Supreme One?!

Wait-

I scuttle over to the bend in the hall and peek around the corner - to reassure myself and take solace in the fact that they both at least entered separate rooms.

I let out a sigh of relief and meander back to the centre of the throne room, taking one last wistful look at Ainz-sama's throne - my work which he had personally acknowledged - before heading towards the room's exit.

Just as I reach for the door handle, however…

My nostrils flare in surprise. what's this..? This presence is.?!

I yank the door open in a fluster:

"A-ainz-sama?!"

* * *

**A/N God I really don't like including Pandora's Actor... just writing his name bothers me, as I find it reads so awkwardly. The akwardness becomes especially apparent to me when writing 'Pandora's Actor's ...' to demonstrate possession or whatnot... truly it's just a personal pet peeve of mine lol. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter: Jade's exploitable weakness revealed?! A strange light-night visit between Ainz(?) and Jade, and likely a couple of perspectives we haven't revisited in a while (Zesshi? Fluder? Neia? I haven't decided yet) so look forward to it! Thanks for reading**


	17. Chapter 17

**In The Flesh**

**A/N: Whoo I finally did it! Only two weeks after my last update, hallelujah! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 17: The Price of Sovereignty**

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

_Knock knock._

"Jade, are you awake?" I whisper against the chamber door.

A few seconds pass; then I detect the faint sound of fabric shifting. A light flicks on, casting a slim beam of light through the bottom of the door.

"Suzuki, is that you..?" comes a groggy voice.

"Er, yes, I'm sorry to disturb you so late…" I apologize gingerly.

_Creeeeeeeak._

Jade, barefooted and ostensibly wearing nothing but an ember-orange bathrobe, appears in the open doorway, squinting tiredly. I quickly avert my gaze to the floor in embarrassment:

"Ah, if it's a bad time, it can wait until morning…" I mutter before turning around to leave.

"No no, don't worry about it. I don't need much sleep anyway. What's up?" She inquires, reaching out and grabbing the sleeve of my garment to turn me back around.

"Ah, okay then... do you mind if we talk in your room?" I ask.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Come in then," she says, stepping to the side.

"Pardon me," I say while taking a trepidatious step inside.

Jade closes the door behind me before slinking over to her bed to sit on its end. Swinging her legs in an alternating, childlike rhythm, she pats the space next to her invitingly.

"V-very well..." I mutter, forcing an uncomfortable smile on my face before shuffling over to sit next to her.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"Ah, I just had a few questions I needed to ask you that I neglected to pose earlier, regarding your stay in Nazarick…" I explain.

"Oh? Like what?"

"Just two simple questions, really," I say nonchalantly: "they are very important though, and concern your own well-being while you reside in Nazarick".

Jane's eyes widen at the mention of her safety, but I raise a hand before she can speak:

"Ah, but don't worry, You're perfectly safe here, of course: it's more a simple matter of ensuring a smooth integration… I'm only doing this on behalf of the guardian overseer, Albedo, you see. Perhaps you could not tell from your brief exchange with her, but, she is quite anal when Nazarick is concerned, and though I loathe to admit it, she and the other guardians harbour some skepticism for you… hmm?" I hum thoughtfully at the end, noticing Jade's peculiar face: "What is it?"

"No, no, it's nothing!" Jade assures, but a betraying smile of guilt blossoms on her face from being called out: "I just thought it was a bit funny talking to 'Ainz' again, and not Suzuki. You've really mastered the tone and speech patterns of an authoritative figure, haven't you?" She giggles.

"I don't understand..? How else would I act..?"

"Pfft-! Right right, of course, my apologies Your Majesty!" She offers in a blatantly patronizing tone.

Does she think this is funny? To address me, Ainz Ooal Gown, so casually? Or, worse still, does she mean to mock?

Indignant anger flashes, red-hot, through my mind:

"Enough! Your attitude is unacceptable towards me: show some respect or you will be executed! Understood?" I bellow angrily, feeling my anger manifest brilliantly in my eyes as burning-red embers.

For a moment, Jade visibly jumps and stiffens with fright, tight-lipped and sobered up.

There, that will teach her some manners and-

"Ahaha, you actually got me there for a second, Suzuki, that was really impressive! I didn't know you had such an imposing side. I can see how you've managed to flourish in the New World thus far! That thing with your eyes, the glowing red: was that a special effect you got from the gacha shop or something? It's really cool!" She commends excitedly.

A 'special effect'?! This girl-!

"You-!" I begin to reprimand, before quickly shutting my mouth. No, I cannot afford to do anything drastic… I should just ask her the questions and leave.

"Ahem, anyway, regarding those questions I wanted to ask you…" I begin again, trying my best to keep the bitterness out of my voice.

"Right, right! I understand. You do have an image as a Supreme Ruler to uphold in front of your guardians, after all. Ask away," she permits with a nod.

I take a deep breath to regain my composure.

"... Firstly, what are your long-term plans here in Nazarick?" I ask.

"Long-term..? Could you be more specific?"

"Hmm… I suppose I mean to ask, how long do you intend to stay in Nazarick? And…" I hesitate for a moment, biting my lower lip: "... do you intend to try and find a way back to Earth?"

"Ah!" Jade exclaims understandingly: "Funny you should mention that, actually!" She beams happily: "coincidentally, right before you came in, I was thinking about how I should go about proving to you how smart I am! And then it hit me: you told me earlier how you managed to create a spell that allowed you to regain your human form permanently, right? Well, if I spend some time in the library and study up on the nature of magic and technology in this world, I'm sure that, with my amazing brain, I'll be able to create a spell or device of some sort to transport us back to Earth!" She explains confidently.

-!

Regain..? Permanently..?

"Is… that so?" I stammer.

"Yeah! Jeez, Suzuki, I thought you'd get all excited at the prospect of returning to Earth," Jade accuses with a pout.

"Tch… so you really do intend to steal him away from us…" I mutter quietly, allowing my tongue to click in annoyance.

"Hmm? What did you say?"

-!

"Oh, ah, nothing! Ahem, er… regarding your plan to return to Earth… how long do you think that will take to prepare?"

"Hohhh? So you are excited after all? Can't wait to get back, eh, eh?" She presses, nudging me with her elbow playfully - no, rather - annoyingly. This girl is utterly insufferable!

"No!" I cry spontaneously, but no sooner had the word left my mouth then Jade recoiled in surprise and I realized my mistake.

"I mean-! Ah, 'no', I'm MORE than just excited to go back!" I offer lamely in an attempt to salvage my blunder.

"Aha, I knew it!" Jade cries triumphantly with a grin - a flash of teeth that seems to set my very soul ablaze with a fight or flight response, with a primary focus on the former option, of course.

Why would I ever want to leave Nazarick? And with someone who has such an irritatingly unenticing demeanour, no less... surely it would never happen.

"Anyway," Jade continues, oblivious to my scorn: "I have a few ideas, but nothing concrete. I honestly couldn't even give you an estimate on how long it could take. I'll know more tomorrow: once I begin my research, it should become quite clear rather quickly how difficult an endeavour this whole plan will be".

"Ah, but regardless, you likely won't be finished for at least a week, correct?"

"A week?!" Jade shrieks, leaping up from the bed in outrage:

"Bloody hell, Suzuki! I mean, I'm flattered, really, but no way! At the very least, something this complex will likely take months, maybe even years to accomplish!"

"I-is that so..? Well, that's a relie- I mean, hmm, that's a shame…"

"Wow… you sure know how to take the wind out of someone's sails and make them feel inadequate, Suzuki…" She groans indignantly; music to my ears.

The less wind in your sails, the sooner you'll stagnate and sink...

"Ahaha, sorry, sorry," I reply with a fruity chuckle, feeling it appropriate. Now then, where was I...

"Now, tell me, Jade: certainly you would agree that this New World is quite vast and could still harbour some unforeseen threats, even to us".

"Well, I find that hard to believe, given what I've seen so far, but if you say so, it must be true then…" Jade concedes halfheartedly: "why bring that up?"

"Well, given that your - er, our - plan to return to Earth will take quite a bit of time, I think it would be prudent to ensure proper protective measures are in place in order to react to and prevent any possible interferences".

"Um… yeah, that makes sense I guess. Wouldn't want something bad to happen to either of us in the meantime".

"Yes, of course… with that in mind, I'd like to know of any weaknesses you may have in order to compensate for them and play to your strengths, should the need arise" I explain.

Jade's brows furrow a bit - from skepticism or concentration, I cannot tell; just to be safe:

"Aha, again, just a simple procedure. Every new arrival in Nazarick has to answer these questions, or the overseer will throw a tantrum," I lie, scratching the back of my head.

Seemingly satisfied by my response, Jade shrugs her shoulders and hums thoughtfully.

"I guess my biggest weakness would be…" she trails off, casually tapping her chin with an index finger; "...that I can't be revived".

-!

"You… can't be revived? At all?" I ask, trying to keep my voice from quivering.

She shakes her head forlornly;

"No, not at all… not even by super tier magic, I reckon; though perhaps with a world item…"

"Unfortunately, Nazarick does not possess such an item…" I assure candidly: "but why? I've never heard of someone incapable of being revived…" I press.

"It's because of my racial class [Sovereign of Light]. Any [Sovereign]-type class is extremely rare, and labels the person who possesses it as a 'Supreme Being' to whom mortal means of resurrection cannot apply… at least that's what it says in the lore description, anyway"

"For such a debilitating effect, surely it must grant you some incredible benefits," I say, hoping to elicit further elaboration.

Jade lets out a hollow laugh:

"Oh yes, especially for a lone-wolf player like me; I never had anyone around to revive me even if I were to perish, so losing the ability to be resurrected was not a devastating sacrifice. It was sorely outweighed by the benefits, in any case: the [Sovereign of Light] class permanently boosted all my stats by 5 points, increases my mana regeneration by 300% as an innate passive, and grants me access to a temporary active ability - [Day of Reckoning] - which, for sixty seconds, boosts all my stats by an additional 25%, amplifies the damage of my holy spells by 100% and allows me to spam them with 0-cast time and a reduced cooldown. The effect cannot be dispelled by any means, either".

"That's… incredibly powerful…" I concede through gritted teeth.

"Yes, but there still remains a downside to it as well; during those 60 seconds, all previous buffs that were applied to me prior to the ability's activation are dispelled - which again, was not much of an issue since I never played with other people who could buff me. In terms of actual debilitations, I cannot heal through any means during the sixty seconds of [DoR]'s duration. And it takes a toll on my body, utterly crippling my speed and health regeneration for a short time after it runs out as well. It's definitely a double-edged sword in that sense; it's fantastic in 1v1's or when I'm in a pinch, but against a handful of high-level players or monsters it was not very useful because 60 seconds was often not enough to dispose of them all".

"I understand… yes, that makes sense. Everything comes with a cost befitting of its value, after all," I offer philosophically, sighing in relief on the inside.

There should be no problems then…

"So uh… anything else you wanted to talk about?" Jade asks hopefully.

I shake my head slowly, rising back to my feet and smoothing out the wrinkles that had formed in my robe:

"No, I think I'll retire to my chambers… I'm quite tired. But, we'll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow. Thanks for humouring my guardians' request," I offer with a smile.

"Ah, no problem. Yeah, I'm pretty tired too, I guess…" she confesses disappointedly.

"Goodnight then," I bid farewell with a wave of my hand before heading out the door.

"G-goodnight…"

_Ker-chunk!_

Once the heavy door closes behind me, I allow myself to shiver euphorically.

That went even better than expected. To think, she wouldn't be able to be revived! How fortunate! Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined a better, more detrimental weakness which so perfectly accommodates our needs!

My heart now overflowing with glee, I raise a hand high into the air:

"[Greater Teleportaaaaaaaaation!]" I chant triumphantly, blinking out of the dim hallway - unaware of the pair of anxious golden eyes that had been watching me from the other end of the hall.

**POV Neia**

**.**

**.**

**.**

My eyes flutter open as a warm beam of sunlight tickles my eyelids.

Groggily, I gaze at the window, cursing that I had forgotten to draw the curtains last evening.

Wait a minute… the sun's position in the sky…

-!

The realization is more than enough jolt my sluggish brain awake, and I quickly try to roll out of bed.

But a strong arm wraps around me from behind, pulling me back by the waist.

"E-eltric!" I gasp in surprise.

"Just five more minutes…" he mutters groggily, nuzzling my neck.

I can't help but giggle as his coarse bristles tickle my skin.

"N-no, seriously-!" I try to protest, wriggling vainly to break free - but my laughter effectively undermines my efforts, and I feel him only squeeze tighter.

"Hey, I'm sure the Holy Kingdom will survive if the great Neia Baraja stays off-duty for another five minutes… I'm sure Lieutenant Perriarch is holding down the fort just fine," he assures in a tone suggesting his drifting back to sleep.

And for a moment, the warmth of his body is almost enough to coerce me back to sleep.

But no!

"No, Eltric, I really must get up now. The day I let someone else take charge is the day I-!"

"Is that so? That's funny, seeing as how quick you were to let me 'take charge' last night…" he whispers in a sultry tone, his breath sending a shiver down my spine.

Feeling my ears burn up, I can say nothing as I imagine the self-satisfied smile that is undoubtedly manifesting on my bedfellow's expression.

And so a few minutes pass - of Eltric's soft snoring, and my desperate struggle to stay awake.

Practically counting down the seconds, as soon as five minutes pass, I wriggle free of my imprisonment in one swift motion.

Eltric reaches out for me, but this time I'm too quick.

I spring up from the bed and flash him a pompous grin:

"Ha."

"I don't know why you look so triumphant, when I'm still very clearly the winner," he assures, and I feel at once his hungry gaze begin to ogle me from head-to-toe.

"Oh for God's sake what is wrong with you!" I cry out in embarrassment, wrenching the blanket off the bed to wrap around my own body.

Eltric yelps in surprise

"Damn it's drafty!" he shrieks indignantly, springing up from the bed while cupping his genitalia protectively. I avert my gaze to the side, burying the lower half of my face in the blanket to conceal my blush.

"Really, Neia? No need to act so timid, it's unlike you! Besides, after everything we did last night, I think you've irrevocably relinquished your innocence!" He accuses with a jeering grin, his head, no doubt, flooding with depraved recollection.

"Just get out already!" I wail frustratedly, trying to keep my own thoughts from straying. My heart feels as though it could explode at any moment.

"Aye-aye, captain!" Eltric finally concedes patronizingly, quickly pulling on his pants and shirt.

"J-just so you know, this won't change our dynamic or anything… I'm still in charge!" I cry petulantly as he darts for the door.

"Until the sun goes down again!" He calls out over his shoulder before disappearing from sight.

"Jeez…" I mutter hopelessly to myself, looking to the now vacant bed.

Despite my best efforts, my lips furl into a wistful smile, and I shake my head.

.

.

.

"Captain!" A sudden voice cries out as I, still adjusting the last button of my dishevelled tunic, make my way down the flight of stairs leading up to the officer's barracks.

I look up to see Perriarch - looking rather skeptical, no doubt, over my uncouth appearance. I realize, horrified, that I hadn't even taken the time to wash my face or fix my hair.

"W-what is it, Lieutenant?" I demand, feeling my cheeks flush self-consciously.

"Er… right, well; it would seem we have a visitor who's looking for you," he declares, turning around to point towards the training grounds.

I squint my eyes.

-!

"Shizu-chan!" I cry out happily before sprinting down the flight of stairs, leaving a dumbfounded lieutenant behind.

"Shizu-chan!" I cry out a moment later, waving to the short battle-maid, who turns to face me.

"Ah, Neia-chan. You're looking especially cute-ugly this morning," She compliments(?) with a resolute nod, slinging her firearm back over her shoulder.

"It's so good to see you!" I cheer, taking hold of her hands: "what were you-" I begin, eyeing her gun, but stop myself short as I notice the smoking debris littering the target practice field - even the farthest targets, that I myself have some difficulty hitting consistently, have been completely obliterated.

"Is that your doing..?" I ask apprehensively.

CZ-delta cocks her head to the side in confusion before turning to follow my gaze.

"Ah, yes. A few of your men noticed the weapon I was carrying and wanted to see it in action… I hope you don't mind," she explains nonchalantly. I level a glare towards a distinctly guilty-looking group of five or so men off to the side, who look back at me furtively with sheepish expressions.

I sigh.

"No, it's no problem Shizu-chan, I'll get them to clean up and set it all back up in no time!" I finish tersely, raising my voice so the five men can easily hear me. They all flinch and begin to grumble like scolded children before begrudgingly shuffling out to the field.

I look back to CZ and smile again:

"So what brings you here today..?" I ask.

It surely couldn't be to deliver another gift from the sorcerer King, could it? If it is, this time I'll have to reject it no matter what. Nothing we've done could warrant such charity from the Supreme One. I'll just tell CZ to relay I did not feel right relying on the Sorcerer King's generosity once again and-

"Actually, I'm here to let you know that Ainz-sama will be arriving shortly," the maid explains bluntly.

-!

"A-Ainz-sama… is coming here?!" I cry out in shock, grasping CZ by the shoulders.

"Ouch, that was very loud Neia-chan…" she complains with an otherwise stoic expression, lifting both hands to cup her ears adorably.

Sure enough, my unnecessarily loud voice seems to have carried far, garnering the attention of nearly everyone on the training grounds. With a mix of surprise and confusion, they begin murmuring excitedly amongst themselves.

"Er, sorry CZ-chan… when exactly will Gown-sama be arriving?"

"Hmm…" the orange-haired girl hums;

"Any minute now, I suppose".

-!

"S-seriously?!"

She nods matter-of-factly.

I turn away from her and raise my voice as loud as possible:

"Oi, everyone! The Sorcerer King, Ainz-Ooal Gown-sama - saviour of the Holy Kingdom - will be arriving here any minute! Clean yourselves up, right and proper, and gather in front of the barracks ASAP! Spread the word!"

"Hai!" the men all cheer before rushing off in every direction.

"Hey!" I call to the five men from before, all of whom were also about to leave:

"Not you guys! Finish cleaning up. If there's so much as a single chip of debris on the field by the time the Sorcerer King gets her, you'll all be getting one of my boots up your ass!" I threaten.

"Neia-chan…" CZ whispers to me quietly, tugging on my sleeve.

"What is it?"

"I know you've told everyone to look their best for the Sorcerer King, and that's great and all, but… truthfully, you're the messiest-looking person I've seen today. And you smell…" she points out, pinching her nose for emphasis.

I pull open the collar of my own tunic and take a tentative sniff.

-!

"A-ah… you have a point," I mutter embarrassedly: "if you'll excuse me, then…" I stammer, feeling my cheeks flush for the upteenth time today. Bowing awkwardly, I turn and sprint back to my chambers.

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"[Ainz-sama, we are ready for your arrival]" A quiet message rings out in my head.

I get up from my throne with a sigh.

"Very well. I shall arrive momentarily," I reply in a deep tone.

At Albedo's suggestion, I've decided to visit the Holy Kingdom and see how things are progressing. And it's as the guardian overseer said; my appearance would surely resonate with the people of the Roble kingdom - for what a kind and magnanimous Ruler I will seem, checking in on those I had helped weeks ago. It's sure to inspire more support and adoraton. Plus, though I'm reluctant to admit it, a part of me is a bit curious to see the development of this new religion CZ-delta has told me about… does that make me egotistical? The very concept of a religion, with me at its core, makes me a bit nervous in an ironically humiliating kind of way… well, best not to keep them waiting any longer.

I wish Jade could come with me, but she seems to still be sleeping right now - as it is rather early - and Albedo informed me she had agreed to have a duel with Cocytus and some of the other guardians later this afternoon. I was overjoyed at first to hear of such a development, but now I can't help feeling a bit melancholic.

"[Gate]" I chant, opening up a vortex.

Look at me, getting so attached to a sixteen-year-old girl… how silly. I'll be able to speak with her later tonight. It's good she's bonding with the guardians.

Having convinced myself all was well, I step through the portal.

I squint my eyes, struggling to adjust to the bright sunlight of my new environment - yet another struggle I didn't have to deal with when I was undead. Which reminds me; I think tomorrow I'll start looking into the undoing of this spell. Things have been hectic lately, but, if I don't figure something out soon, Demiurge will start wondering why I haven't started employing this 'race changing spell' for any of the purposes we had discussed. And I feel as though I should check on Fluder again… he's been holed up in the library - under strict supervision, of course - these past couple days. It'll be interesting to see if he's attained the level of a 7th-tier magic caster; he was quite close when he first came to Nazarick, asking to live here. Ah, the more I think, the more things I discover need to be done, and the more I regret deciding to spend an entire afternoon here!

-!

I've been too lost in thought! I quickly shake my head and look around.

"...Eh?" I stammer in surprise, noticing the large group of kneeling soldiers in front of me.

I shoot a quick look to CZ-delta, kneeling off to the side. She nods her head, conveying her endorsement of the circumstance

"Ainz-sama!" A cheerful voice cries out.

I look down.

"Gah!" I gasp in surprise, noticing Neia Baraja at my feet.

"Is something the matter, Ainz-sama?" She asks, narrowing her eyes in concern.

_Shudder._

It's been a while since I've seen those eyes… I'll have to reacclimate myself to them again. They're as unnerving as ever...

"Er, nothing, Neia. Or should I say, Baraja-dono. I've heard of your promotion from CZ-delta: congratulations," I commend deeply.

The scary-eyed girl before me blushes profusely at my compliment, wobbling momentarily on her planted knee.

"Ainz-sama, please do not refer to me as -dono! But thank you, nonetheless! It was mostly thanks to you!"

"Me? And what did I do?"

"It was through your aid, the opportunity to act as your bodyguard during your last visit - and your loaning of this item to me-" she pauses, motioning proudly to the ivory bow on her back; "that I was to climb the ranks so quickly!"

"Is that so? Well, I hardly feel I deserve any credit; I merely helped open your commanding officers' eyes to the talent I knew was within you from the very beginning," I assure with a confident nod.

A quiet wave of admiration breaks out among the kneeling soldiers.

'So humble'

'So nice!'

All according to plan!

"A-ainz-sama…" Neia trails off bashfully.

Then suddenly, I hear a quiet voice from the front row whisper to the person next to him:

'Hey, is that really the Sorcerer King..? I thought he was undead..?'

'Might be some sort of illusion..?' The other suggests.

Ah, that's right, I guess I should-

"Hey!" Neia shouts, whirling her head around to glare daggers at the culprits; they recoil under the weight of her savage gaze;

"Show some respect! Of course this is the great Sorcerer eep-!"

I reach down and place a hand on the captain's head, and she startles under my touch.

She turns around to face me, with a very childlike expression of surprise… not endearing enough to temper the innate coldness of her eyes, though.

"Baraja-dono, it's quite alright. Their confusion is understandable; it's very likely some of your men have never seen me in person before, anyway" I muse thoughtfully before removing my hand and stepping forward.

"I am the Sorcerer King, Ainz-Ooal Gown; my current appearance is merely the result of a new spell I've recently manufactured," I announce to the crowd, divulging as little detail as possible.

A chorus of understanding 'ooh's' and 'ah's' ripple through the ranks.

'See? What did I tell you?' I hear one person say, lightly punching the soldier who had originally brought my identity into question in the shoulder.

Suddenly, something dawns on me.

"Ah, where are my manners? You may all rise," I bellow authoritatively.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Ainz-sama, what brings you to the Holy Kingdom today..?" Neia ventures, fidgeting anxiously in place.

I see her ostensible infatuation with me hasn't waned one bit since I was last here…

"Ah, well, I simply wanted to check in on you, and everyone else here. You see, I felt a bit guilty about leaving so soon after I had dealt with Jaldabaoth. I wish I could've stayed longer to help with the aftermath," I explain, offering a compassionate smile.

The crowd erupts;

"Ooooooooh!"

'So kind!'

'So thoughtful!'

'All hail the Sorcerer King!' A few particularly emotional individuals decree.

Yes, this is going perfectly!

"Ainz...sama…" Neia sobs, wiping at her tearful eyes. When she finally removes her arm to look up at me with her now moist, bloodshot eyes…

My left eye twitches fearfully and I hold back the urge to shiver. Her eyes are more potent than a level V [Fear], I swear!

"Er, Neia, I don't mean to insult you, but I do believe it's a bit unbecoming for a captain to weep in front of her soldiers over something like-" I whisper to her awkwardly, only to lose my voice as I notice over half the congregated soldiers are crying in a similar manner.

M-maybe I went a bit overboard and spoke a bit too altruistically…

Hmm?

Who is that guy over there, glaring daggers at me?!

"Er, Neia… Neia?" I address the ranger, stirring her back to reality.

"F-forgive me, Ainz-sama… I was simply overcome with joy!" she explains.

"I-I see… er, in any case; who is that man over there?" I ask, nodding my head towards the sour-looking individual.

"Who..? Ah!" Neia exclaims as she follows my gaze.

As soon as her eyes land on him, his expression softens and he flashes a wide grin our way.

"That's my second in command, Eltric Vellitch! Oi, Eltric, come over here!" She cheers, waving him over.

The man - looking quite chipper now - saunters over, his chest puffed out.

What's up with this guy?!

"It is an honour to meet you in person, Your Majesty. Neias gushes about you constantly," he reveals in a strangely complex voice: coy, measured, but with a distinct undertone of... bitterness? Envy?

casting that perception aside momentarily, I turn to regard the captain with a hint of amusement:

"Oh? Is that so? That makes me happy".

"E-eltric..." Neia protests weakly, fidgeting with the hem of her tunic.

"Anyway, jokes aside, it truly is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Your Highness; I'm Eltric Vellitch," the man finishes his introduction in a wholly pleasant tone, bowing his head courteously.

"Likewise. Neia was just telling me you were her second in command; and if she chose you, I'm sure you're a very capable man," I reason warmly.

"Yes, well, as I'm sure you know, the captain has very good eyes".

"Umu. that is why I made her my bodyguard the last time I was here".

By now, for some reason, the captain's face has turned bright red. Does she perhaps have a fever..?

"Neia, are you feeling ill?" I question.

"She's fine, Your Majesty," Eltric responds for her, with the resurfacing of that subtle yet biting inflection.

I arch an eyebrow. Did I say something wrong?

"Eltric!" Neia exclaims, swatting him in the chest with the back of her hand - a rather informal reprimand, I note.

"Forgive me, Your Highness. I did not mean any disrespect," he apologizes with a bow;

"Now if you'll excuse me…" he finishes curtly before turning around and walking away.

"E-Eltric!" Neia calls after him - but he continues on, offering only a backhand wave of acknowledgement before disappearing into the barracks.

Neia takes a step forward to go after him, visibly fuming, but I lay a hand on her shoulder;

"Do not worry Neia, I am not offended… though I must wonder if I said or did something out of line..?" I muse thoughtfully,

"N-no not at all Ainz-sama! Truly, I do not know what's come over him; I assure you he meant nothing by his tone!" she asserts adamantly.

"I see… in any case, I'm more than willing to overlook it. I'm sure he has his reasons".

"Truly, you are too kind Ainz-sama!"

I raise a hand.

"Now, Neia, if you're not too busy, I would enjoy it very much if you would assume the role of my bodyguard once again and show me around. I've heard there's a very flattering statue of me in a nearby town," I joke.

The captain's face brightens in an instant;

"Of course, I would be honoured! Though for the record, in regards to the statue, I personally don't think it does you justice…" she trails off before turning to face her men - who have been awkwardly watching our discussion unfold, standing at attention this whole time. I kind of feel bad for them…

she opens her mouth to address them, but then hesitates, pausing suddenly; she shoots a glance back at me;

"Would you like to do the honours, Ainz-sama?"

I shake my head in rejection of her offer:

"Nonsense; they are your men, not mine".

"Understood! In that case…" she turns back to the group with a broad grin;

"Dismissed! As you were; but remember, you are still in the presence of a true King!"

"Hai!"

After offering one last bow, they all disperse - though many of them continue to sneak glances my way over their shoulders.

A 'true' king, she says… does this mean she still holds me in higher regard than the ruler of her own kingdom?

"Now then!" Neia beams excitedly; "Ainz-sama, would you like to head into town now?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful. Let's be off," I say, beginning to walk down the forested path leading to the road that connects to the town of… what was it called again? Melly-something? Mellbitch? No, that can't be it…

"Wait, Your Majesty!" Neia suddenly cries in a panic, drawing me from my failed recollection.

"Hmm? What is it?" I ask, turning back to face her.

"I-I can't allow you to just walk all the way into town! Please, wait a moment and I'll go get a horse for y-"

"Don't worry, I'm rather in the mood for a leisurely walk. I could use a breath of fresh air, you see".

"Are you sure, Your Majesty..?" she trails off apprehensively, shooting a glance towards the stable in the distance.

I simply nod my head before continuing, conclusively, down the path. After a brief moment of dithering, the captain jogs up close behind me. I see CZ-Delta begin to walk towards us as well, but I quickly raise a hand and shake my head.

'One escort is enough'. She nods her head in reluctant obedience.

After a few steps, I notice, Neia trailing slightly behind me; I slow my pace, thinking the difference in our strides to be the cause, but she too slows down in response.

"Baraja-dono".

"Yes, Ainz-sama!"

"Why don't you walk by my side?"

"A-ah! It's just, I couldn't possibly…" she trails off uncertainly.

"-walk as though you were my equal? Nonsense. Come. I feel ridiculous leading the way into unfamiliar territory, anyway".

"R-right! V-very well then!" the hard-eyed girl stutters, scampering up to my side.

"..."

For a couple minutes, we walk in silence, as I admire the simplicity of nature, while Neia's eyes, bulging from her reddened face, remain ultimately glued to the loamy ground. Was she always like this around me?

"Baraja-dono, it seems something is troubling you,"

Her eyes widen momentarily;

"N-no, I'm fine, really!" She exclaims - a bit too loudly to be convincing.

I offer her some accusatory silence.

"W-well, it's just… I suppose I'm a bit worried that perhaps you'll be disappointed with my accomplishments thus far… that you won't find the statue to your liking and whatnot… or the church, well, it's rather humble, and surely not opulent enough to be a place worthy of hosting an assembled reverence for one such as yourself, and-!" She begins to ramble worriedly until I finally interject:

"...Neia, do you really consider me a person who would dwell on such pretentious trivialities?" I ask in a disappointed tone.

"F-forgive me, Ainz-sama! I - and everyone else - know how humble and kind a person you are! Please ignore my impudence!"

"Good, I'm glad you don't think so lowly of me. Now, don't be worried; I'm sure that your hard work has paid off, and I'm grateful for all that you've done for me. I am equally certain that anything you've cultivated couldn't possibly displease me," I assure with a nod.

"A-Ainz-sama… I am undeserving of such praise…" she trails off in a bashfully-giddy tone.

"I only give credit where credit is due, Baraja-dono".

A couple more minutes of silence. Soon, we come to a crossroad, and a sign that reads 'Mellevitch'. Ah! So that was the name of the town, I was on the right track… good, that would've been embarrassing if I had said it incorrectly to Neia, or anyone else for that matter.

"Ah, Ainz-sama, I almost forgot!" Neia suddenly exclaims, jumping in front of me and bowing until her torso lay parallel with the ground.

"Hmm?"

"I wanted to thank you in person, on behalf of all my men and the town of Mellevtich; thank you for your generous donation of runic equipment earlier this week. They allowed us to turn the tide during a fierce and sudden demon attack. Countless lives would've been lost had it not been for your charity! Oh, and I, of course, represented you to the best of my abilities with [Shooting Star Super]!" She cries, like a child bragging to a parent for acknowledgement.

It's kind of flattering I suppose, to have someone pine for your recognition; but a bit unsettling as well, mostly because of her eyes...

"I-is that so? Well, I'm very glad to hear you've already made good use of it all… think nothing of it," I say with a dismissive wave of my hand.

Ahhh I feel so guilty! After all, that whole demon attack was Demiurge's scheme, which I, of course, approved of in a panic... 'it was the perfect opportunity to showcase the equipment's worth and further embellish the Holy Kingdom's opinion of the Sorcerer King', or so Demiurge had said. It worked out, but... it was still a scummy thing to do, in hindsight.

"Ahem, well would you look at that; is that Mellevitch appearing on the horizon?" I say while pointing to an opening in the tree line, eager to change the topic.

Neia whirls around excitedly;

"Yes, that's it Ainz-sama! I'm sure everyone will be overcome with joy at your arrival! Once we get a bit closer, please allow me to go and let them know you're coming so we may prepare-"

"Neia, what did we just discuss? There is no need to make a fuss; I am not someone who demands a royal procession wherever I go".

"A-ah, right… my apologies, Ainz-sama…".

As we approach the town gate, the two guards on duty hail us - and Neia runs over to explain the situation.

As I wait for her to finish, I can't help but look up at the clear-blue sky, noticing how high the sun has risen. Jade must surely be awake by now… who knows, she may even be having fun with the other guardians by now.

I smile at the prospect, then notice Neia waving me towards the gate - the two guards have dropped to their knees.

I can't wait to get back to Nazarick and learn of Jade's bonding with all the NPC's.

I hope it goes well.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter is sure to be... exciting. I'm hoping to release it soon, because I'm anxious to write it, but I may have to redraft it multiple times so who knows. Stay tuned!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N; So, as a heads up, this chapter is written in a third-person omniscient narrator's perspective rather than a character's. Very amateurish, I know, to just change writing style like that in the middle of the story, but this chapter is rather… dynamic, with lots of simultaneously moving characters and actions that a first-person limited POV can't hope to accommodate, for obvious reasons. So I hope you won't find it too jarring. Though, on the other hand, I suspect some of you may actually prefer it to the first-person POV's thus far lol.**

words in _**bold and italics**_ indicate a character's exact thoughts.

**I release this update with a knot of excitement and anxiety in my stomach, as I feel this chapter offers no middle-ground to stand on; you will either love it or hate it.**

**But in the end, it doesn't really matter; because this is my story, and you're just along for the ride :p**

**Enjoy...**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

**"The Sovereign of Light"**

Noon.

Donning all of her equipment, Jade stepped out of her chamber. Moments after waking up, she had received a [Message] from Coctyus, asking if she would like to spar down on the 5th floor.

She saw no reason to refuse; _**it might be fun **__**to let loose for ****once**_, she thought_**.**_

This would be her first 'real' battle since coming to the New World. During the short time she spent in the Baharuth empire, she never came upon anything even remotely challenging; she quickly realized, with a strange mix of relief and disappointment, as Ainz had, that the difference in power between herself and the beings of the New World was irreconcilably vast.

Still, though, a sparring match would hardly offer the adrenaline rush she yearned for - but it would have to suffice. **_No_**, she thought to herself, internally retracting her statement; _**to say it would merely 'suffice' would be a gross underestimation of Cocytus' ability**_.

She knew from their brief crossing of blades yesterday that he would offer some fierce resistance.

Though perhaps just as challenging as the fight itself would be, there was actually getting to the 5th floor, as she was still unfamiliar with Nazarick's layout. Even though Suzuki had tried his best to describe it while they were leaving the bathhouse the other day, it was simply too convoluted to digest without a visual aid of some sort.

_**Oh well**_, she figured with a smile; she would simply have him escort her there for today.

And speak of the devil, as she rounded the corner of the hall which fed into the throne room, there he was, sitting statue-still upon the recently-polished throne. She took a moment to study him, his blank expression, in silence, as he had not yet noticed her, before giggling amusedly;

"Hey, Suzuki! What're you doing?"

The Overlord's head swivelled languidly to face her; only after his eyes settled on her for a few moments did he blink and shake his head slightly, suggesting he had been lost in thought, as Jade had suspected. He shifted forward in his seat.

"Ah, you're awake; I was waiting for you, in fact," he declared matter-of-factly with a tired smile.

"Waiting for me..? Er, not for too long, I hope…" she added sheepishly, now embarrassed that she had slept for so long.

"Ah, no, I was not waiting for very long; don't worry about it. Yesterday was very... eventful after all, haha..." he paused for a moment before continuing; "so it's understandable that you needed the extra rest, which is why I refrained from waking you up," he explained empathetically, scratching at his left cheek bashfully.

Jade's heart sank with guilt; despite what he said, she was now sure that he had been waiting for her, in all likelihood, all morning. He was just that kind of a person, she supposed.

"I see… well anyway, sorry to have kept you waiting…" she reiterated, hesitating for a moment, on whether or not to tell him about her impending duel with Cocytus.

_**'Hey sorry to have kept you waiting all morning; anyway, I need to get going now because I already have plans, bye!'**_

Surely to say such a thing, even more tactfully, would seem awfully rude; especially after she and Suzuki had agreed last night to pick up their conversation in the morning.

Ainz cocked his head to the side and raised a hand to his chin;

"What's with that look? Come: it would be inconsiderate of us to make Cocytus wait any longer," he chided, rising from his throne while smoothing out his robe.

"Y-you know about that?" Jade asked incredulously.

Ainz looked up at her with a dumbfounded expression;

"Of course; I am the Supreme Overlord of Nazarick, after all. My guardians tell me everything," he explained.

"R-right… and you don't mind?" she inquired tentatively.

"Hmm? You mean about the duel? Of course not, why would I mind?"

Jade bit her lower lip, realizing she had dug herself into a bit of a hole. Any explanation she gave to justify her feeling the need to apologize could easily be misconstrued to imply she thought poorly of Ainz; that he was clingy and lonely. Of course, she didn't actually think that was the case at all.

Fortunately, Ainz, seeming to recognize her dilemma before she had to vocalize it, clicked his tongue knowingly;

"I am not so solipsistic as to demand 100% of your time, Jade. Quite the contrary, in fact; I'm pleased you're already taking the time to befriend the guardians," he admitted with a light chuckle.

Jade breathed a sigh of relief; at least this awkward part of the conversation was over.

Then, wanting to reestablish the lighthearted dynamic they had begun to cultivate the other day, she quickly added; "but if you're coming, Suzuki, does that mean you intend to fight? Surely you don't think you can beat me one-on-one, hmmm?" she jeered goadingly.

Expecting a witty reply, as sarcastic banter seemed to be the foundation of their relationship, she was very surprised to receive a serious reply, as the Overlord visibly stiffened in his tracks to look her directly in the eyes;

"The name Ainz-Ooal Gown has never - and will never - know defeat," he replied confidently, seeming slightly agitated.

Before she could say anything more, he grabbed hold of her hand and exclaimed;

"[Greater Teleportation]!"

Jade closed her eyes reactively as the world around her melted away. Feeling a chill against her eyelids, she opened her eyes.

"Wow…" she exclaimed breathlessly, twirling around in place to admire the snow-white landscape which seemed to extend endlessly in every direction around her.

"This whole place is inside Nazarick? This is incredible…" she continued in awe, taking a moment to catch a particularly large snowflake in the palm of her hand.

She took a deep breath, relishing in the refreshing prickle of the winter air which served to invigorate both body and mind.

She couldn't help but wonder, in this tranquil moment, if perhaps it had been a mistake to have played Yggdrasil as a lone-wolf.

The truth was, she simply did not have many friends and seemed terrible at making new ones, so she never bothered to try and join a group. But if she had known what she was missing out on - that a guild could offer so much more than just a group of people to go on quests with - Jade had no doubt she would've pushed herself to party-up with other players.

She sighed wistfully and closed her eyes, lamenting what seemed to her now as a lonely past.

"... I'm. Glad. My. Home. Is. To. Your. Liking." a gruff voice suddenly called out.

Her eyes fluttered open, squinting until she finally noticed the speaker - Cocytus, standing perfectly still about ten metres away in front of a heap of snow. Perhaps it was a trick of the eyes induced by the environment's stark whiteness, but the insect guardian's exoskeleton seemed much paler than it did the other day, so much so that he was veritably camouflaged.

"Ah, Cocytus, I didn't even notice you there!" Lenora exclaimed with a grin; "how are you doing?"

"... Fine." the guardian replied dryly after a peculiar silence.

_**What's the matter? He seems agitated**_...

"Alright, both of you take a moment to prepare yourselves and then I'll count you down," Ainz suggested dismissively, and Lenora looked to him in bewilderment, surprised that he, as intuitive as he had proven himself to be thus far, did not pick up on - or did not bother to investigate - Cocytus' strange behaviour.

She threw a skeptical look back towards the icy guardian, but he did not reciprocate; rather, it seemed he was doing his utmost to avoid her gaze entirely.

_Wuuuuuuong!_

Reaching out to his sides, he withdrew three weapons from his inventory, bringing him to a total of four, one in each hand.

The icy-bitted halberd, [Decapitation Fang].

The long and slender katana, [God Slaying Emperor Blade].

A great axe wreathed in black flames, [Shadow Soul Drinker].

And a cumbersome looking lance with electricity that arced all the way from the handle down the length of its 4-foot, cone-like blade: [Ravaging Thunder Impaler].

It seemed apparent that he intended to go all-out from the very beginning. Of course, Jade was not opposed to this; but at the same time, she couldn't help but think it was strange. At a time when it was not made clear whether she was a friend or foe of Nazarick, Cocytus had still only retaliated against her with two weapons; so now it seemed odd that, at the very beginning of a sparring match, he would wield four right from the get-go. She had immediately pegged him as a proud warrior who wholeheartedly enjoyed fighting; someone who derived no pleasure or honour from attempting to crush his opponent right from the beginning, and instead preferred to take his time and squeeze his opponent for all they were worth.

And she knew, with absolute certainty, that her original assessment of him was correct. So why? And why did he still refuse to meet her gaze?

Yes, something was definitely wrong. Lenora could feel it in her bones - her divine senses were screaming, warning her of some unforeseeable danger. But what could it be? She was perfectly safe here with Suzuki, right? She tried to berate herself, convince herself that she was just being paranoid; that her hands were only trembling and sweating in nervous anticipation for her first real battle. Yes, that must be the reason for her uneasiness - just pre-fight jitters.

She eyed the great axe, [Shadow Soul Drinker], and forced a playful smirk on her face;

"You've even armed yourself with a dark-element weapon, Cocytus, my innate weakness... how dirty of you," she teased.

Of course, every competent fighter knew that a duel began long before the participants found themselves face-to-face; preparing the right equipment to counter your opponent was an intrinsic component of battle. It was nothing to scorn, and certainly nothing to apologize for.

By all rights, as candid as Cocytus often was, he should've reproached her immediately for such a ridiculous comment, even if it was only a joke. That's what Jade hoped he would do, anyway.

But he did not.

"...Forgive. Me." he said instead, simply, sounding distinctly and unwarrantably forlorn, even going so far as to dip his head towards her apologetically. In fact, he almost sounded guilty - a realization which sent alarm bells ringing in the paladin's head.

Jade looked expectantly at Ainz. Surely he must notice something was off now.

"Hmm? What's the matter, Lenora? Are you ready to begin?" he mused innocently.

Now she was sure of it; _**they're both acting strange...**_

"Ainz, I'm beginning to think it would be better if we did this another day… I get the impression Cocytus is not in the right mindset to fight…" she trailed off hesitantly, watching Ainz very attentively, gauging his reaction.

"Nonsense!" Ainz exclaimed with a smile - seeming very plastic to Jade - before turning to address the 5th floor's guardian; "Cocytus, is something the matter?"

The icy warrior's mandibles clicked together;

"No… Everything. Is. Fine." he replied, before finally turning to the paladin for the first time since she arrived;

"Forgive. Me. I. Was. Simply. Lost. In. Thought. Thinking. Of. A. Strategy. But. I. Am. Prepared. Now." he assured, and though Jade could not discern the veracity of his explanation, his voice sounded much more confident than before.

One thing was certain; he had made up his mind about something.

Suddenly, Lenora felt a hand clasp her shoulder, stirring her from her uneasy contemplation.

"See?" Ainz said to her; "he's fine. I know it's a bit chilly here, but don't tell me you're just getting cold feet and looking for an excuse, hmm? If you can't beat Cocytus, then you would have no chance of defeating me…" he trailed off with an arrogantly exaggerated shrug.

She met his eyes; and slowly, they both smiled.

She knew she shouldn't fall for such an obvious trick, an appeal to her pride, when her gut still told her something was off; but just then, for the first time today, Suzuki sounded very much like himself.

And that was just enough of a reassurance to, against her instinct's obstinance, cast away her doubts;

"You wish! I'll defeat him, and then you right after; so you'd best prepare yourself!" she warned with a grin.

Ainz laughed heartily;

"I'll look forward to it; making you eat your words, that is," he added before walking away to a safe distance.

Ainz came to a stop, about twenty meters to the side and directly between the two combatants -

Cocytus, [Ruler of the Frozen Glacier]; he who boasted the highest physical damage output among all entities in Nazarick when wielding weapons.

And Lenora, the [Second Hand of God]; the fleet-footed, unwavering Sovereign of Light.

Ainz raised one hand high into the air.

One final gust of wind howled excitedly over the plains, after which the entire floor itself seemed to hold its breath.

Jade swallowed the lump in her throat before drawing in a long, shaky breath to quell the tumultuous mix of nerves and excitement inside her stomach.

Cocytus, raising all four weapons in an imposing display, exhaled a cloud of freezing vapour.

Ainz took a moment to look at each of them; they each nodded towards him, indicating they were ready.

And with a downward slice of the Overlord's hand, cutting through the palpable tension in the air, the match had begun.

...Nothing happened. Both insect and angel remained statue-still, sizing the other up. They were not familiar with the other enough to rush in and throw caution to the wind.

_**At first glance**_, Ainz thought to himself; _**someone might think Lenora held the overwhelming advantage here. But a closer analysis would reveal that this is not necessarily the case...**_

Cocytus was like a glass cannon - though his exoskeleton was substantially weaker than most players' divine-class equipment, he was the very incarnation of the adage "the best defense is a good offense". He was a four-armed monster of pure damage output that would lash out at anything that came within range with a relentless assault of devastating attacks. Though he was not fast or mobile by any means, he stood as both an unstoppable force and an immovable object. A single misstep or miscalculation made within striking distance could spell defeat for anyone who stood against Cocytus as he was now, serious and determined to win.

Lenora, on the other hand, was a rush-down player; she excelled, with high mobility and attack power, at getting in close to opponents and blitzing their health down. This made her especially effective against glass-cannons who relied on ranged skills and abilities, like mages or archers.

Despite this theoretical edge, though, she was actually at a disadvantage against Cocytus, who specialized - thanks to having four arms - in keeping his opponents at bay while offering no opportunities for them to get in any closer than he allowed. As soon as Lenora got within range of his attacks, she would immediately be forced on the defensive, and Cocytus, as skilled as he was, would easily control the rhythm of the battle.

Worst of all, as Cocytus wasn't undead and his karma alignment was actually positive, albeit only slightly, her offensive paladin skills and holy magic would do little against him; so she could not reliably outrange him and force him to compromise his impregnable defence in order to approach her.

In other words, all Lenora could really do was stay close, trust in her abilities, and wait for an opportunity to present itself.

Ainz watched on patiently, his heart racing.

Finally, the staring contest had come to a tacitly understood end as both warriors drew in a deep breath at the same time.

_Krakoom!_

Lenora made the first move, surging forward at a velocity that fully-reflected a level one-hundred player who almost had their agility stat maxed out.

As she soared through the air, luminous white wings of magic protruded from her back; she unsheathed her blade, [Revelation], and its razor-sharp edge crackled with electricity.

In an instant, she was within range of the icy warrior - and like a proximity-activated automaton, Cocytus whirred to life.

Expelling an icy breath of exertion, the katana, axe, and lance whistled through the air towards the incoming attacker at wildly unpredictable angles.

With a flick of her wrist, Lenora deflected the first blade to reach her; [Revelation] scraped against the [God Slaying Emperor Blade] in a dazzling display of blue sparks, charring the very air around them.

_Krssssssssscht!_

Next came the axe, [Shadow Soul Drinker], scraping against and fissuring the icy ground like the bow of an icebreaker boat ploughing through an arctic sheet of ice, before lifting off in an upward arc.

With a dip of a wing and a twist of her body, the paladin narrowly evaded the huge crescent-shaped blade; she caught her reflection in its dark lustre for a split millisecond as it whizzed by, too quickly for her to even feel the lick of its flames.

But she had no time to let out a sigh of relief, for then came the lance in a vicious thrust, perfectly aimed at where she had dodged to - he had predicted her movement.

"[Storm. Thrust]!" Cocytus bellowed as the tip of his lance sparked with power that easily matched the paladin's own sword.

Lenora was surprised to see an electric-element skill coming from the guardian - she had obviously expected ice, and perhaps water or wind.

But she had not equipped anything to defend against the lightning element.

"[Ephemeral Divinity!]" the paladin cried at the last second, activating a limited-use skill that could negate the next physical attack that struck her.

The Lance struck the centre of her breastplate, and its thunder exploded out, conductively arced over her armour from head-to-toe. She gritted her teeth as the electricity, surprisingly powerful, stung her entire body and seemed to boil her blood.

But the blade itself - the brunt of the damage - had been stopped, as it struck an invisible barrier that flickered at the point of impact.

With her own blade, Lenora pushed the lance - pressed innocuously against her chest - away and pushed in closer. In her peripheral vision, she caught [God Slaying Emperor Blade] slicing its way towards her again; she ducked under it as though she were playing high-stakes limbo. Rather than right herself up again, she stuck her hand out behind her to push off of and spring acrobatically into the air, just in time to avoid a sweeping blow of the great axe. Flipping through the air over Cocytus' head, she landed behind him and, spinning in place, thrust her sword at his exposed back.

"[Absolving Strike]!" She roared.

"Hmm." Cocytus hummed disapprovingly

-!

She had been careless and completely forgot about Cocytus' natural weapon.

His tail lashed out like a lunging python, and its crystalline tip smashed directly into her gut from her blind side, knocking her back like a swatted fly.

She crashed into the ground with earth-quaking force and gasped as the air was evicted from her lungs.

"A. Crucial. Oversight. " Cocytus assured.

Before she could even clamour back to her feet, Lenora was forced to dive haphazardly to the right as a large shadow streaked down upon her - and her heart skipped a beat in response to the thunderous crash of [Shadow Soul Drinker] as it slammed into the spot she had been in a fraction of a second ago, leaving a crater of spider-web fissures where it struck.

Ice shards like shrapnel pelted her back mid-roll, and by some miracle, she managed to orient her blade in time to block a lumberjack-like swing of [Decapitation Fang] as she emerged from her roll. Her whole body flinched stiffly from the impact.

"Not. Good. Enough." Cocytus roared stoically.

Though her body was that of the Sovereign of Light's, she nevertheless had the nerves of a teenage girl. With each blow she dodged or blocked by a harrowing margin, her heart nearly leapt from its chest.

She scrambled back to her feet, her face now drenched in cold sweat.

She heard the whistle of the next attack long before she saw it and reactively leaned back just in time for the [Ravaging Thunder Impaler] to skewer the space she had been standing in.

She tried to jump back to catch her breath, but Cocytus wouldn't let her; each time she tried to retreat, he would respond with a thrust that demanded she divert her movement laterally instead. To Cocytus' precarious rhythm she danced, dodging each strike by a mere hairsbreadth.

Even for someone as agile as Lenora, dodging four weapons was proving to be as challenging as one might expect. She had no chance to get any counters in - and Cocytus was in no rush to end things. He pressured her calmly, expertly, merely waiting for her to make a mistake, a single slip-up in her movement.

**_I NEED some space! _**a voice screamed in the back of her mind, as she began to feel, with each passing second, like she was suffocating; she was nearly at her wit's end under the oppressive onslaught.

Desperately, she activated one of her rings, [Ring of Respite], which held the power of the 7th-tier spell [Repulse]; a white sphere of light exploded from the silver band's gemstone, and while it did not succeed in blowing Cocytus away because of his knockback resistance, it was enough to make him stagger just long enough for the paladin to cast a higher-tier spell;

"[Sanctuary Wall]!"

Having now erected a durable barrier, she leapt back; found her footing, regained her composure.

"[Believing is Seeing]. [Ethereal Slip]" she whispered breathlessly, casting the only two self-buffing spells she knew - one that enhanced all five senses to improve one's reaction speed, and the other that boosted her movement speed. Truthfully, she should've cast these much sooner, but due to an arrogance for which hindsight made her feel very stupid now, she did not. She had grossly overestimated her own abilities, at least in terms of mental disposition.

Just as she had finished chanting, Cocytus had carved through the 9th tier spell.

He paused after taking a step to assess her newly imbued form, glowing blue.

He clicked his mandibles in wary acknowledgement.

Lenora could not help but smile in relief at his apparent apprehension; it gave her a moment to collect her thoughts, and bolstered her confidence.

Slowly but steadily, her body was adapting to the explosive demands of combat; her senses were sharpening, her nerves were steeling, and her mind was becoming more in tune with her body. _**I can win this; Cocytus must have realized this too, or why else would be hesitating now?**_

And so with the very same cockiness she had just rebuked herself for having when going into the fight, she launched forward like a shooting star.

**_This is my chance_**, she thought to herself, as she tunnel-visioned for an attack; she had to make this count before he could adapt to her new speed.

Her extended blade acted as a windbreaker, accelerating her towards her target.

But this was exactly what the icy guardian was waiting for. Patience was a virtue, and one that, Cocytus quickly realized, his opponent did not possess. He knew that if he feigned uncertainty, she would recklessly charge him in an attempt to seize the opportunity.

"[Cutting Whirlwind]" Cocytus bellowed; slicing his katana parallel to the ground, he shot a wide crescent of condensed wind out. The razor-sharp beam flew into the wide-eyed Sovereign like a bullet, knocking her sword to the side and greatly slowing her momentum.

"[Execute]!" Coctyus roared, immediately following up his attack with a swing of his halberd, as though he were chopping wood, as Lenora tumbled into range.

frantically, Lenora wound her blade back for a moment while gathering mana within its tip.

"[Righteous Riposte]!" She chanted as quickly as possible, hoping to counter with a skill of her own.

But it was too late.

the halberd's fang bit into her shoulder with the force of an avalanche - she felt it sink through her armour, far enough that she could feel the cold metal against her bare skin

The force drove her to one knee and she gritted her teeth; somehow, she had managed to raise her blade to hook the under-curve of the halberd's tip in time to impede it from completely tearing into her flesh. Her crippled shoulder flared excruciatingly under the pressure of Cocytus' strength; if she had the pain tolerance of a human body, she would have instantly blacked out. She slowly began to rise to her feet, pushing up with all her might until, finally, she managed to knock Cocytus' arm away.

But one could not get away with devoting so much time and energy to one weapon when there were three others to deal with.

_Fwoooooshk!_

Lenora was promptly lifted off her feet and sent hurdling away as [Shadow Soul Drinker] struck her in the ribs; she whistled through the air, unable to orient herself as the attack had also clipped one of her wings, before she slammed into the ground, bounced, flipped, and skidded until she managed, with miraculous timing, to strike her sword into the ground, putting the proverbial brakes on her tumble.

Laying prone, she took a deep breath, and the expansion of her lungs brought with it an agonizing pain that wracked her entire body.

She winced and brought a hand to clutch at her side, the epicentre of it all - a web of cracks had formed in her armour, through which a trickle of viscous yellow fluid - her blood, 'ichor' - oozed out like molten gold. She retched and drew in a raspy breath, which reinvigorated the pain.

Peculiarly, she felt the wound getting hotter by the second, and soon her whole body began to swelter as though the inside of her armour had become a furnace.

That was what happened to those who were maimed by the dark flames of [Shadow Soul Drinker]. It left a curse that insidiously ate away at one's mana and health over time, and it was proportionally more effective the higher the afflicted's karma alignment was.

What made such a thing particularly dangerous was that it was a curse; most low-level status ailment cures and dispels - the ones that people from any class could easily learn without having to divert too many skill points from their main branches - did not mitigate the effects of curses.

In other words, if a lone warrior ever found themselves struck by [Shadow Soul Drinker], their fate was typically sealed as it was very unlikely that they would have bothered investing enough points into sorcery/support classes to be able to learn spells that could negate curses. Of course, there were some classes or races which made one impervious to a myriad of curses, such as high-level shaman, draconic, or certain warlock classes - but Lenora did not possess such an innate immunity.

She did, however, have a spell which could counter curses - as her build was that of a warrior-mage hybrid, she had happened to learn such a spell along the way. Most hybrid builds were widely considered invalid because they often resulted in a character that was only half-effective in either class and ultimately impotent; but through careful allocation of points and the discovery of unique classes like [Sovereign of Light], she had managed to make it work.

"[Divine Cleansing]," she whispered hoarsely.

A pale-green light washed over her, immediately soothing her pain. The skill did not replenish her health, however, nor did it stem the bleeding - but at least she could breathe again.

She had lost about 30% of her health. Yet despite having incurred so much damage without inflicting any in return, Jade's resolve did not waver. Everything until now had just been a learning experience; she had acted stupidly and paid the price for it.

The next battle sequence would go in her favour; of that she was certain.

Determined to start things off fresh, she raised a hand in preparation to invoke a healing spell.

"... Forgive. Me." she suddenly heard Cocytus say in a low tone that made her words catch in her throat.

He slowly marched towards her, weapons lowered unthreateningly at his sides.

She was about to reply, thinking that he meant to say sorry for delivering such a fierce blow; but something made her stop.

It was his portentous tone, which seemed to imply a different reason for his impromptu apology: as if he was apologizing for something that had not yet transpired.

A chill ran down her spine.

Cocytus came to a sudden stop, his mandibles clicking anxiously, instilling within Jade that same sense of inexplicable dread from earlier, except even stronger now, sending her stomach and mind aflutter.

Something was wrong.

She shot a sideways glance to Ainz, but he offered nothing more than a slight tilt of his head - apparently as perplexed as she was.

She retrained her eyes on the icy guardian;

"Cocytus... what's wrong..?" she forced the words out, stumbling briefly over the clump in her throat.

"..."

Without warning, he drew in a deep breath, and a moment later his mandibles spread far apart; at the back of his throat, a blue-white light began to manifest, growing rapidly in intensity.

-!

"[Frost. Breath]" the guardian spat out gruffly.

A beam of ice and wind shot out from his maw a moment later.

Seeing that it was aimed slightly towards her left, Lenora nimbly jumped to the right.

"Hey!" the paladin cried indignantly, thinking that was a very dirty tactic - to act so ominously and then attack without warning.

But she had no time to fully express her frustration.

"[Concussive Blow]".

A fruity voice boomed from behind her.

Lenora whirled around in surprise, just in time for a gloved fist to slam into her face.

The meteoric impact sent a tremendous shockwave to ripple through her entire body and rock the floor beneath her feet. Her left cheekbone caved in like drywall and her nose snapped to a crude angle; an explosion of her own blood filled her vision.

A moment later, as if the knockback of the attack had had a delay, she was blown back, sent to careen into a large prism of ice that jutted out from the ground behind her.

The wind was knocked out of her as she ricocheted off of it and crumpled face-first to the ground. Even now, her brain still rattled violently within her skull from the attack, and she briefly considered that it might just sever itself from her spine.

Through the mess of tears and blood which now soaked her face, she slowly raised her head towards the direction she had been launched from.

"S-sebas..?" she stammered incredulously.

There was no mistaking it, even with her blurred vision; it was him. The butler stood, wordless and statue-still, with his fist still extended from when he had struck her - the white of his glove was stained with her blood. A shadow of guilt loomed over his wizened face, and he refused to meet her gaze.

Lenora's mind could not even begin to fathom the reason for his sneak attack, but one thing she knew for sure was that she needed to heal, pronto. She raised her hand again and prepared an incantation, though it took her concussed brain a moment to remember one.

But again, she could not get the words out in time, as something stabbed into her back from above, delivering a pain so acute that all the Sovereign could do was open her mouth in a silent yelp as her vision darkened nauseously for a moment.

Then, slowly, she felt herself get lifted up.

She dangled in the air like a puppet that was grasped by a single string on its back, as her limp feet twitched searchingly for the ground. She felt her strength getting sucked away, out of her body. Her whole torso felt cold. Everything was numb now.

With a great deal of effort, she glanced down and struggled to focus her faltering vision.

When she finally managed to blink away the blurriness, a wave of panic overwhelmed her delirious brain; protruding from her gut was the tip of a lance which had skewered her all the way through from behind. She watched, in morbid and incredulous mesmerization, as it dripped with a generous amount of her ichor.

_**Cocytus..?**_

No, it was not. She could still make out his form in her peripheral vision.

"Ara? My my, what delicious lifeforce you have!" a high-pitched voice giggled from behind.

Lenora, in her incoherent state, vaguely sensed herself being shifted to the right - a brief windup, before the vampire promptly swung her [Spuit Lance] to the left, cruelly flinging the ragdoll-like angel from its tip. A copious amount of blood spurted from the exit wound, splattering against the ground beneath her airborne body.

The Sovereign of Light struck the ground, bouncing only once before sliding pitifully across the ice, leaving a solid stripe of gold in her wake. She eventually came to a stop after bumping into something rigid. She retched, oozing blood from her mouth, which pooled against the side of her face, seeping beneath her cheek which was pressed firmly against the ground. Luckily, her body was so numb now that all the pain she felt had been reduced to nothing more than a dull throb.

She languidly rolled her eyes up to see what she had hit.

Looming over her was Ainz Ooal Gown.

"Su...zu...ki… h...hel..p…" she stammered hoarsely, extending a hand to desperately grope at the hem of his robe.

And then, to her horror, Suzuki looked down, right into her rapidly-dimming eyes, and smiled - the evilest sneer she had ever seen. It curdled her blood.

With a kick of his foot, he knocked her outstretched hand away.

_**This... has to be a nightmare, **_she convinced herself in that instant, staring up into the inhumanly psychotic eyes of Suzuki. There's no way it could actually be him - the same man who had cried, broken down in tears of joy, upon seeing her for the first time. The same man she had accidentally groped in the bath just yesterday, and who tried to play it off even as his face grew redder than her own hair. The same man who she had joked, laughed, and cried alongside for hours and hours.

She couldn't reconcile the image of that Suzuki with the creature standing above her now; it was surreal. it COULDN'T be real.

But the pain she felt, in body and in heart, was very, very real.

"W...why..?" Jade sobbed miserably.

**_What is happening?! This… this isn't right_!** _**We were supposed to leave this world and return to Earth together! Was everything just a lie..? Was he actually some sort of sociopath this entire time?**_

Tears began trickling from her eyes, blurring her vision even more; they were not the secretions of the Sovereign of Light, but rather the bitter droplets of a sixteen-year-old girl, burdened with the overwhelming fear of imminent death. The carpet of life had been forcefully yanked out from under her.

**_I don't… I don't want to die! I can't! _****_I didn't ask to come to this world! I was only playing a game! It was all just a game!_**

**_ I need to get back home! Back to my family! I need to finish my degree and then find a way to transport humanity to another planet and begin anew! Where my family, me, and everyone else can live long and prosper, having learned from the past! Where I can grow old and live a normal life! _**

**_I just want to live a normal life!_**

_**But now..!**_

She clenched her fists in frustration, slamming them weakly into the ground.

She broke down, whimpering, blubbering, grovelling at the Overlord's foot, choking on the liquid gold that filled her mouth.

She wouldn't get to see her family again. Never again would she be able to sit down at the kitchen table and drink tea; gossiping, joking, and laughing with her mother.

Never again would she be able to go to a football game with her dad, or go out stargazing with him on their roof when she couldn't sleep. Though she frequently experienced bouts of insomnia, her father had the uncanny ability to lull her to sleep within minutes of them laying down on the roof, as she rested on his chest and listened to him quietly point out every constellation that graced the sky. Jade never had an eye for them, but her father seemed to know them all and was even able to roughly point out where certain constellations would be visible on the sable canvas if there was no light pollution.

She would never hear her mother or father's proud voices, feel their embraces, or the kisses they would always plant softly in her hair as they congratulated her for acing yet another exam - all of which were rewards far more gratifying than the grades themselves.

And then there was her younger sister, Liz. (She was only two minutes younger than Jade, as they were fraternal twins - but Jade always loved to lord her one-hundred-and-twenty extra seconds of life experience over her). The two of them never really seemed to get along - 90% of the time when Liz approached her, it was to insult, brag, or pester. The other 9% of the time, it was to ask for help with homework.

But the other 1% of the time made up for it; those tender moments of sisterhood that would remind Jade of their bond, and make her forget the other 99%.

Whenever Liz would come home, hysterical, over some guy at school or over some other situation that required guidance or consolation, she would never seek solace in her parents - it was her 'older' sister whom she would visit: to hug, kiss, and vent to.

And Jade would sit patiently, listen, and advise to the best of her abilities every time - challenging though it was at some times because Liz seemed to fall for a different boy at every gust of the wind. Through thick and thin, Jade was always there for Liz, as a source of validation and wisdom - because that's what an older sister ought to be. And, along the same vein, Liz was there when Jade needed her as well; when she felt like blowing her brains out from studying and needed a break, Liz was always there to cheer her up. And though Liz couldn't understand most of the concepts, she was always willing to sit and listen to Jade when the latter needed a wall to bounce her ideas off of, to get her thoughts rolling.

"Just remember, my brilliant elder sister," Liz would remind dramatically after such a session; "when you're rich and famous off of your gizmos and doohickeys, don't forget all the times I helped you out; sauce me a couple million pounds here and there, will you?" she would always joke.

And at the recollection of that line, Jade smiled wistfully- a crack in her bloody visage, which promptly crumpled into a deep frown, as she began to think of something else; or rather, all that she would miss out on in life.

She wouldn't get to fulfill her lifelong dream of saving humanity.

She wouldn't get to meet the love of her life.

She won't ever get the chance to hold her children in her arms - she had always wanted two, a boy and a girl, whom she would name Siegfried and Isabelle, respectively, in honour of her best friend and late grandfather.

She'd never get hear their first words, or watch them take their first steps.

She wouldn't be able to celebrate their birthdays, or watch them grow.

She'd never enjoy the quaint pleasure of teaching them to read, ride a bike, help with their homework, or scold them for the most banal transgressions, as every mother must - just as her own mother had.

She wouldn't get to cry at their graduation, as she knew she inevitably would, which would obviously embarrass them to the point where they'd be forced to pretend like they didn't know who that mess-of-a-woman in the front row was.

She wouldn't get the chance to watch them learn to love and marry, and she wouldn't get to embrace the wild bundles of warmth that would be her grandchildren, whom she would most certainly spoil rotten.

All these prospects flooded through her mind, leaked out, stained her cheeks.

_**Why? Why, Suzuki! Why!?**_

The more her vision darkened, the more a desperate anger smouldered within her, taking the edge off the sensory-numbing cold. She clenched her eyes, gritted her teeth, pushed back the snatching claws of death from her heart, and murmured her resolve;

"[Day...Of…Reckoning]

_FOOOOOOOOM!_

A blinding pillar of light crashed down from the heavens, imbuing the Sovereign of Light with the potential to reclaim her right to a future.

She rose on shaky legs, enveloped in a warm light. She could feel the power overflowing, churning within her, warming her soul - the pain dissipated, the bleeding stopped, her strength was replenished.

She had 60 seconds to turn the tide. 60 seconds to change her fate. 60 seconds to ensure that she does not lose everything.

She had not lost hope.

_Wa-tch!_

But before she could even move she felt something coil around her neck, tighten swiftly, and crush her windpipe. It squeezed a thick clot of blood from her throat, and the brilliance of her radiant cloak flickered to mitigate the damage.

She looked down and clawed at the noose-like whip constricting her neck - pure black, covered in metallic thorns. She could feel them digging into the flesh of her throat, and even through her gauntlets - she traced the weapon back, several metres, and at the other end was an androgynous dark elf, with her feet planted firmly in the ground, pulling back with all her might.

With as much strength as she could muster, the Sovereign of Light swung her sword down on top of the whip; it bounced off harmlessly, failing to even leave a scratch on the divine-class material.

She then tried to slip her fingers between her neck and the whip - but it was too tight.

Desperately, she raised a gauntlet towards Aura, struggled to steady it, and opened her mouth.

"S-shallty!" The dark elf cried through gritted teeth, yanking even harder in an attempt to silence the incoming spell.

using what little oxygen she had left, Lenora managed to choke out;

"[Dual cast… Absolute… Smite]!"

[Absolute Smite], the far superior version of [Smite], was a 10th tier spell, which, thanks to [Day of Reckoning], could be cast in rapid succession.

It ignored magical defence completely - any creature who had a negative karma rating and was directly struck by it would perish immediately, with very few exceptions.

Two concentrated beams of divine energy shot from Lenora's palm, streaking towards the dark-elf like arrows.

"[Impure Shockwave Shield]" Shalltear chanted, suddenly leaping in front of the 6th floor's guardian. Swinging her lance back and forth, the crimson valkyrie emitted two blood-red waves that rippled through the air, clashed with the [Absolute Smites], and devoured their light.

Lenora's eyes widened in surprise. What sort of skill was that? She had never heard of it before. In that case, it must be a rare, limited-use skill. Banking on that fact, she raised her gauntlet again. Her face had become tomato-red.

"If you would be so kind as to refrain from using such obnoxiously bright techniques, it would be greatly appreciated; my eyes are beginning to hurt…" a sultry tone whispered from behind her.

Spliiiish!

Lenora winced as her heel exploded with pain; her Achilles tendon had been severed cleanly, raked by a pair of demonic claws. Though it took only a moment for [Day of Reckoning's] light to heal the wound, it was not before the Sovereign had crumpled to one knee.

Now that she had lost her footing, Aura pulled, bringing this tug-of-war to its preordained conclusion.

"Mare, go ahead," Demiurge ordered casually, producing a handkerchief from the pocket of his suit to wipe the ichor off his claw.

"R-right…" the effeminate druid stammered, raising his staff high into the air. Lenora tried to raise a hand towards the elf but a boot stomped it down, grinding her fingers underfoot.

Demiurge crouched, bending down to her ear;

"Just lay down and allow yourself to be put down like the leashed dog that you are," he hissed coldly, and Lenora could hear the smile in his voice.

"[Mother Nature Reclaims All]!" Mare cried, slamming the end of his staff into the ground. A chasm-like fissure snaked its way towards Lenora, from which thick verdant roots sprouted, wrapped around the prone Sovereign, and completely enveloped every part of her except for her face in a cocoon.

More and more, a seemingly endless amount of vine-like roots unfurled from the ground to wrap, bind, crush, and drain its target.

From Lenora's back, from one of an incalculable number of vines, a tree began to sprout; higher and higher, spurred on by the immense amount of energy its roots were absorbing from the cocoon, the Sovereign's magical power and lifeforce.

As quickly as [Day of Reckoning] could supply, Mother Nature consumed, insatiably. The tree had already grown twenty feet tall, sporting a thick canopy of leaves and fruit-bearing branches.

Under its weight and the suffocating constriction of the vines, Lenora felt about ready to implode. She tried, with all her strength, to push her limbs outwards, but she could not budge, not even an inch. She was completely immobilized.

"W-wow…" Mare gasped in awe, craning his head back; "I-I've never made such a big tree from this skill before!" he exclaimed with a smile.

"Congratulations, Mare. I'm not much of a nature enthusiast myself, but even I must acknowledge its beauty…" Demiurge sneered, glowering at the wriggling paladin at his feet. Aura patted her brother on the back with a wide grin.

On the other hand, Sebas and Cocytus stood off to the side in silence, grimly watching the scene unfold;

they had, after all, acted only out of necessity; a need to eliminate something that threatened to take away their Supreme Ruler, their only reason for living. For that reason, and nothing less, the two of them could forsake their souls - the altruistic desire to help the innocent, and the pride of an honourable warrior, respectively. Shamefully, they watched on, refusing to partake in the other guardians' cruel joking.

Only 30 seconds remained of [Day of Reckoning].

Lenora had no choice but to use THAT move.

[Consecrated Oblivion] - her ultimate move, available only during [Day of Reckoning's] activation. In exchange for 25% of her max HP, and at the price of ending [DoR] early, regardless of how much time was left on the ability, the Sovereign of Light could expel a tremendous blast out from her body; an undeterrable, unblockable shockwave of divine energy that would 'purify' everything within a one-hundred-metre radius. 'Purify', in this case, meant the complete and indiscriminate [Erasure] of anything within the ability's area of effect. It would affect friend and foe alike, everyone except the Sovereign of Light herself. What made the skill so impressive was the fact that [Erasure] was not considered the same affliction as [Death] or even [True Death] - it was even more potent, and thus could not be mitigated by the same countermeasures.

Because [Erasure] was such a rare power, afforded only to players who attained one of the [Sovereign] or [Monarch] classes - of which there could only be one for each magical element - it could be assumed that the guardians of Nazarick had nothing to defend against it. At least she hoped.

She thanked God that, by some forgetful whim, she had accidentally neglected to mention her trump card to Ainz the other night.

She focused [DoR]'s energy within her, condensed it in her chest, let its power multiply.

Her HP was at 30% and dropping rapidly. She would have to unleash it now or the ability's health-cost would kill her.

_**Suzuki…**_

She clenched her eyes shut, forcing out a single salty tear from each as she shook her head.

_**Why did it come to this..?**_

_**[Consecrated Oblivion], **_she whispered inside her head, as her voice could no longer produce sound.

But it was enough for some God, whichever God, to hear and answer her plea.

She felt her whole body grow warm, similarly to how [Shadow Soul Drinker] had left her, as exactly 25% of her health melted away.

Subjected to the vampiric tree, she was now at 4% health.

But it didn't matter - the spell had gone through.

It was done.

She felt the uncomfortable heat subside as [DoR] deactivated.

At any moment, [Consecrated Oblivion] would set everything around her ablaze in a sacred purging, until nothing remained of Nazarick's guardians or its Ruler.

And though it was terrible, this is what needed to be done; in order for her to see her family again and realize her dreams, Nazarick had to fall. She wished only that she could have gotten an explanation out of Ainz...

_**Forgive me, Suzuki..!**_

…

A second passed. And then another. And then another.

Jade held her breath, and with each tick of the imaginary clock within her mind, her panic swelled exponentially. What happened?! Where was the explosion?!

She could no longer feel the power within her - it had been completely spent.

_**So why?!**_

She began to whimper again, muffled by the vines which covered her mouth.

"Hey, the tree suddenly grew like 10 more feet in the blink of an eye, d'ya think she tried to do something?" Aura suggested, squinting up towards the peak of the monolithic tree above Lenora.

"I would think she must have tried to use an ability of some sort as a last-ditch effort to break free… but, well, it seems it had too long of a cast time, and [Mother Nature Reclaims All] was able to extract the energy she was gathering before it could be put to use," Ainz deduced.

Shalltear clicked her tongue disdainfully;

"How pitiful… truthfully, I expected more from her. Oh well, I was getting bored of her light shows anyway," she concluded smugly.

"Yes, well, the advantage of numbers and the element of surprise cannot be discounted. She had no chance," Ainz mused triumphantly.

The guardians all nodded in agreement.

Coming from Suzuki's own mouth, the explanation stung all the more - she couldn't believe it.

She was broken. Tears rolled silently from her unblinking eyes; and down these salty streams, so too flowed out her hope.

Gone was the indomitable Sovereign of Light; back was the teenage girl, Jade Willows.

She watched in hollow despair as Shalltear Bloodfallen strutted towards her, nonchalantly, yawning extravagantly.

And then the fear of death consumed her, overwhelming the numb stupor like a sudden splash of cold water to the face.

Jade trembled, squirmed, more and more vigorously as the Victorian-esque executioner came ever closer.

But it was all in vain. She had nothing left, no way to break free.

_**But there has to be something! Anything!**_

3% HP.

Her mind raced, futilely, obstinately clinging to a hope that was no longer there, as her eyes fixed upon the [Spuit Lance's] point.

When her mind finally blanked despairingly, she looked to Ainz.

_**Please!** s_he tried to scream; _**Suzuki, stop this! Stop! Don't! I… I Don't want to die!**_

"Oh… you poor thing, you look like you're suffering…" Shalltear went on with a pitiful click of her tongue, finally coming to a stop just in front of her prey; "don't worry… I am not so cruel as to refrain from euthanizing a doomed animal…" she whispered soothingly.

she raised her lance high, pointing its tip condemningly towards the Sovereign's head.

"Didn't I tell you before, Lenora?" Ainz suddenly asked; "Ainz Ooal Gown has never, and will never know defeat. The second you threatened to take Ainz-sama away, you pitted yourself against the entirety of Nazarick, and your fate was sealed; tell me, how does it feel to have been crushed so brilliantly, so absolutely, by the ones you were so quick to trust?" he inquired sadistically.

She had no time to answer, as the Overlord waved his hand - obediently, the [Spuit Lance] stabbed downwards.

All out of ideas, hope, strength, and tears, Jade shut her eyes in broken resignation.

2% HP.

An image of her family flashed through her petrified mind; she wanted nothing more than to have a chance to at least say goodbye to them, for the sake of closure if nothing else. What was happening on Earth, anyway? Did they know what was happening to her..? What became of her real body on Earth, anyway? Did her family think she had been dead all this time..?

She hoped so.

_**Mum… Dad..! I'm sorry..!**_

_Kr-spulch_!

Silence.

The tree stopped growing.

0% HP.

Shalltear removed her lance from the girl's skull, a smile etching its way onto her face - and Demiurge's as well - as they both fondly admired the spectacular splattering of gold-soaked grey matter which decorated the ground at their feet.

Cocytus expelled a sorrowful blast of frost before quietly turning around and walking towards his home without looking back. He was ashamed to have even felt compelled to see her death through to the end. For his own sake, he told himself it was not because of some morbid curiosity, rather it was his duty - no, his self-prescribed punishment - to witness his opponent's demise until the end.

With a similar feeling, Sebas dipped his head slightly lower, his heart aching; he whispered an apology to his creator, an utterance which was lost in the 5th floor's wind before it had even escaped his lips.

And then, finally, Albedo, the orchestrator of this macabre catastrophe, stepped out from behind Ainz;

"Well done everyone. That went much better than anticipated," she said with a self-satisfied grin.

"It went too well, to be honest," Shalltear snorted as she began to perfunctorily examine her nails; "like I said, I was hoping to get a little more out of her…"

"B-but… this means Ainz-sama is going to stay with us now, right?" Mare ventured worriedly.

Albedo walked over to the druid and placed a hand on his head;

"Of course, thanks to you, Mare," the succubus said with a honey-sweet smile.

Mare giggled under her touch, sighed in relief.

Albedo turned back around to face Ainz;

"Pandora's Actor… is everything else in order?" she asked cryptically.

"Of course, Albedo-saaaaaaaan!" Ainz replied, pirouetting over to the paladin's corpse.

The overseer shuddered euphorically; she was so elated, in fact, that not even Pandora's Actor's grating voice could force the smile off her face. There was nothing to get between her and Ainz-sama now. He would stay here in Nazarick, forever, now that the temptress was rotting away in the afterlife. She figured, giddily, that she would be there, always at Ainz-sama's side, to console him as he mourned this girl's death; and she would entice him to vent his emotions, sexually. She grew moist down below just thinking about it.

"Then, there's only one thing left to do…" the succubus trailed off for a moment, biting her lower lip.

She eyed all the guardians one by one;

"Does everyone remember the story? Not a word of this gets out to Ainz-sama, understand?" she asserted gravely; "or Ainz-sama might still leave us yet," she added, looking pointedly towards Mare and Aura.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Demiurge and Albedo had, after all, drilled all the information into their heads earlier that morning.

The overseer raised a finger to her temple; she took a deep breath to calm her arousal and prepare the most distraught voice she could muster;

"[Message]

…

yes, Ainz-sama… I... I don't know what happened, but... it would seem Lenora has killed herself".


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Hello there! First off, I hope you are all doing well; that you and your loved ones are healthy and staying safe during this global crisis.**

**Secondly, I apologize for the late update. I would've liked to upload this chapter a week ago, but these hectic times of uncertainty and online classes have been very unaccommodating... and don't even get me started on how I'm still working, since my place of employment is considered an 'essential service' -_- . I hope you can understand: I am not so inherently evil as to have intentionally left you in the dark for ~3 and 1/2 weeks after last chapter's cliffhanger...**

**hopefully, the next chapter won't take as long to churn out.**

**Regardless, allow this chapter to provide you with some temporary distraction during these trying times :)**

**Chapter 19**

"**Pyrrhic"**

**12:15**

Ainz Ooal Gown was in a rather uncomfortable predicament.

No sooner had he and Neia stepped through the front gate than seemingly every citizen of Mellevitch had taken to the streets, eager to catch a glimpse of their kingdom's saviour, the Sorcerer King.

They fervently bombarded him with praise and rhapsodic cheers: literally threw themselves at the Overlord's feet as he walked by, nearly causing him to trip several times.

"Ainz-samaaaaaaaaa!"

"Thank you for all that you've done for the Roble Kingdom, Ainz-sama!"

"We love you Ainz-sama!"

"Kami-samaaaaaaa!"

Gifts of gratitude were thrust emphatically into his face: food, alcohol, pouches of money, pelts—Ainz respectfully declined everything with an awkward wave and a polite nod of declination. Neia had her work cut out for her, leading him down the road, clearing a path through the throngs of bumping bodies and outstretched hands, all of which hoped to convey even just a mote of their gratitude.

Finally, they had made it through and reached the 'Temple of Ainz'—a name which the Sorcerer King had mixed feelings for, that he could not help but feel embarrassed about, and, feeling terribly pretentious while standing next to the monolithic statue built in his likeness, quickly urged Neia to lead him up the stairs and inside.

The place was packed, but everyone quickly made room for Ainz himself as he shuffled to the front and took a seat just before the podium. Internally, he had wanted to take a seat in the back, but that would hardly be a choice befitting of a Supreme Ruler and so he allowed himself to be ushered to the front.

The priest, in a nervous tizzy over the impromptu visit of the Sorcerer King, apologized profusely for the church's quaintness; he offered a pillow—the comfiest one in all of Mellevitch, he assured—for the Sorcerer King to sit upon, and ordered people to fetch some refreshments after noticing and misinterpreting Ainz's flushed expression.

And so now the Sorcerer King sat, feeling extremely awkward atop a plush pillow, with a large cup of wine in his hand. He was acutely aware of the weight of everyone's gaze boring into his back, their excited chatterings and curious remarks.

"I can't believe it, he's actually here! The great Ainz-sama is here!" he heard whispered in a tone that suggested the speaker was struggling to contain themselves.

"I heard he's come all this way just to check in on us!"

"Really? And he even went to the trouble of changing his appearance to that of a human's just for us?"

"He truly is a magnanimous ruler with a kind spirit! Far better than our own King, I say!" someone snorted boldly.

Nobody rebuked him.

"I wish I could live in the Sorcerer Kingdom… I'd never have to worry about my safety again if I lived under the Sorcerer King…" someone confessed wistfully.

The comments went on and on, each one making Ainz's face take on a slightly deeper shade of red. The statue, the constant praise and idolization, the fact that he was sitting in a church dedicated to his very existence—it was all a bit too much for Suzuki Satoru, a mere salaryman, to handle.

He tried to keep his focus forward on Neia, who, behind the podium, was passionately recounting the time Ainz had saved her from the Beast King Buser and defeated him with ease.

Every other second, she sneaked a glance over in his direction, as if seeking approval—to which Ainz would nod and offer a reassuring smile.

He wondered if this was what a parent must feel like when attending their child's school play, in which they played the main role. That's how he felt, watching Neia perform.

_**She is, admittedly, a very good public speaker. Good projection, eye-contact with the audience, attention-drawing gesticulation at just the right times. She'd make a great sales-pitcher, mhmm.**_

It was a random thought, forcibly induced, with the desire to keep his mind from dwelling on all the buzz that was around him.

He took a moment to wipe his clammy palms against his robe: it was almost time.

He had agreed, reluctantly, and only after a great deal of imploring on Neia's part, to give a speech: or sermon, as Neia had called it, but the Sorcerer King refused to call it so.

"Please, Ainz-sama! It would mean the world to everyone if you could retell the events of your battle against Jaldabaoth! It's everyone's favourite story; coming from you yourself, it will become an even greater treasure!" Neia had begged him outside.

Of course, as much as Suzuki wanted to refuse, Ainz could not—what kind of a Supreme Ruler refused to address his subjects? He would seem like a coward or a snob, neither of which was a title he wanted to be tied to the name Ainz-Ooal Gown.

Finally, Neia came to the conclusion of her tale, describing how Buser's mangled body had been knocked back after a single blow.

_**She's definitely embellished the story a bit to make it more dramatic**_, Ainz thought to himself.

As the crowd erupted in cheer, Neia stepped down from the podium and kneeled at the Sorcerer King's feet, inviting him on stage.

The Sorcerer King's heart fluttered.

_**Ahhhh it's now or never… how did I wind up in this situation? This was supposed to just be a routine tour of sorts, I didn't want to get sucked into my own cult!**_

_**I can't wait to get back to Nazarick. Maybe Jade will get a kick out of hearing about my suffering today.**_

As he stood up from the bench, the crowd behind him exploded in 'Oooooh!'s' and 'Ahhhhh!'s'.

The Sorcerer King approached the stage with a dignified stride, his chin held high, and his chest puffed out. When he reached the podium, he thrust both arms out as if with the intent to embrace the audience.

_Foom!_

A ball of lightning and fire manifested in each of his palms.

Everyone in the crowd recoiled in surprise, gasping incredulously—a sound which began startled, but gradually became more and more excited.

They all clapped exuberantly, including Neia.

_**Ahh to be so startled and impressed by a mere [Fireball] and [Orb of Lightning]... everyone here would've fainted before my duel with Jaldabaoth even began if they had been around us! **_the overlord thought to himself humorously.

_**And maybe I'm being a little over-dramatic but… I can't let myself be outdone by Neia!**_

He lowered his hands, extinguishing the low-tier spells as he firmly clasped either side of the podium.

He stared out at the crowd with narrowed eyes, ignoring his heart's jackhammer beat; he took the time to meet each and everyone's eyes, one by one. The townspeople sobered up immediately under his piercing glare, their throats lurching in anxious anticipation.

In the corner of his eye, Ainz saw Neia watching him intently, eyes wide and mouth open, like a child waking up on Christmas morning and admiring all the gifts under the tree.

_**Great, now that they're all on the edge of their seats, I'll-!**_

But just as he opened his mouth, a sudden, familiar sound went off in his head.

_Ta-ting!_

The overlord clicked his tongue in annoyance.

_**A [Message]..? **_

The crowd watched in confusion as the Sorcerer King raised a finger to his temple and looked to the ceiling.

"[Albedo? What's the matter]?" Ainz declared, ostensibly to nobody.

...

The townspeople all exchanged dumbfounded looks.

A few moments of silence passed.

Neia cocked her head to the side as the Sorcerer King wordlessly lowered his hand back to the side of the podium with a perplexingly blank expression.

"Ainz-sama..?" the ranger ventured, a pit forming in her stomach.

For some reason, staring into the Sorcerer King's stoic visage, she couldn't help but feel something was terribly wrong.

"No…" Ainz suddenly whispered, hollowly.

Neia's heart did a somersault in her chest.

"No, no, no, no, no no no…" Ainz prattled on, trailing off into inaudibility as he leaned against the podium, white-knuckling its sides. His face had suddenly become extremely pale.

Neia took a worried step forward, thinking he must have succumbed to a sudden illness—the priest had a similarly distressed expression, wondering if the food and wine he had offered was to blame.

Neia forced her mouth open:

"A-ainz-sama! Are you-?!"

Without warning, the wooden podium crumbled to splinters within the Overlord's grasp.

The congregants gasped, and Neia raised her arms to shield her face from the ensuing barrage of wooden shrapnel that shot out in all directions.

When she lowered her arms, her heart stopped.

"**No… no… no… this is-! This can't-!" **The Sorcerer King bellowed, his voice somehow echoing upon itself, shaking the foundations of the entire temple.

While running a trembling hand through his hair, ominous black wisps, tendrils of smoke, began to ooze out from the Sorcerer King.

A moment later, Neia felt a comforting warmth over her chest; she looked down, surprised to see her pendant, [Heart of the Lion], pulsing to life. She didn't understand.

**Why now? Why would an item which bolsters my resistance to [Fear] effects be activating right n-**

"Bleeeeghehk!"

Neia got her answer, as everybody in the front rows suddenly keeled forward, fell unceremoniously to the ground, and began emptying their stomachs. A moment later, the people in the row behind them followed suit, retching as well. And then like a cruel set of dominoes, row by row, before anyone could understand what was happening, everyone dropped to the floor like flies, spewing and sobbing grotesquely.

A putrid stench quickly filled the room, and Neia brought a hand over her mouth as the odour triggered her gag reflex.

Then without warning, her legs gave out beneath her and she crumpled to her knees. Her whole body was quaking.

Her cheeks puffed out and the back of her throat clenched, foretelling the imminence of vomiting.

She gagged dryly, clutched at her gut, just barely able to choke back the bile in her throat.

Her chest felt knotted, it was hard to breathe; she looked out to the crowd in horror as everyone had begun writhing on the floor, rolling around in their own vomit, desperately clawing at their throats as though they were being strangled by some invisible attacker.

Their eyes were turning bloodshot-red, and veins bulged sickeningly from their necks and their contorting faces—masks of pure fear.

Redder, redder, redder they grew.

They were suffocating, Neia realized, horrified. She should've realized it sooner, but it happened so quickly that it hadn't registered in her brain until now. She tried to stand, but her legs would not obey.

_**Get up!**_ she screamed internally, but it was no use; her bones felt like jelly, and her muscles, like overstretched rubber.

Immobilized, Neia could do nothing but watch in terror as everyone around her, slowly but steadily asphyxiated—their movements slowed, the light of life drained from their eyes, one by one, as their frantically spasming bodies came to a telling stop.

First the elderly.

And then the children.

Then the women.

Then the men.

And then silence.

Not a single body remained moving. Some twitched, the final and futile efforts of obstinate neurons.

It was like time had frozen; Neia could not bring herself to breathe, completely stupefied.

She clenched her eyes shut.

_**G-get up! Everyone, please! The Sorcerer King is here, he'll protect us!**_

She turned her head shakily towards the Sorcerer King—her guardian deity, the saviour of the entire Roble Kingdom, a veritable hero of legend!

And her breath hitched. Her well of tears ran dry in an instant, taking in the Sorcerer King's expression.

A mask of anguish, she could hardly recognize it.

"A-ah… ah..! I'm sorry… I'm so sorry—!" the Sorcerer King stammered harrowingly from her side, clutching at his skull:

"I… I have to go!"

Neia could not believe it: her heart felt as though it had been torn in half.

_**W-what? A-ainz-sama… why..?**_

Her train of thought had derailed into incoherency, a jumbled mess of incomprehension and sorrow.

But she could not protest; her throat had long since constricted enough to choke any words back.

She was losing consciousness rapidly. Her amulet of courage throbbed desperately, like a waning candle, around her neck, straining to mitigate the unadulterated despair that radiated from the Sorcerer King.

Through her darkened vision and deafened ears, the last thing 'Death's Ranger' registered before slipping away was the conjuring of a [Gate].

_**N-no… please, Ainz-sama, don't leave..! Save us, please!**_

But it was all for naught: he did not hear her silent plea.

And so she drifted out of consciousness, cursing for the first time—and perhaps the last—the Sorcerer King's name.

...

Ainz Ooal Gown-sama had returned to Nazarick.

They all felt it.

A thunderous tidal wave of emotions that inundated the tomb, swept over every denizen, seeped into their entire being, pervaded their minds.

Made them twitch, shiver, and weep: made their minds spin, their hearts sink, their spirits break.

But none were affected as strongly as the guardians, in whom, catalyzed by their lord's emotions, there sparked a nauseating mix of guilt and panic.

Yes, the Supreme Ruler was back—and he was not happy.

And they were to blame.

...

**POV Ainz**

.

.

.

I fling open the throne room doors.

"Ainz-sa—!" Albedo begins to cry out, dropping to one knee.

"_**Where,"**_ I seethe, cutting her off.

The guardian overseer looks up at me, her eyes wide and trembling within their sockets as she takes in my presence, the undulating wisps of coal-black smoke curling off my body.

Is it wrong for me to expose her to such emotions? Perhaps, especially after I had promised to keep my temperament in check ever since my outburst on Cocytus' floor.

But I don't care. I can hardly think straight, much less suppress what I'm feeling.

"_**Where?!" **_I snap again, louder this time, after Albedo fails to reply immediately.

"I-in her chamber, Ainz-sama… I have not moved her since we found her this morning…" the succubus explains in a tremulous voice.

Without a word I step past the kneeling overseer, nearly breaking into a sprint towards the living quarters.

"A-Ainz-sama!" Albedo calls out, scrambling after me.

With each step I take, the numbing buzz in my head grows louder and louder, drowning out any intelligent thought.

Jade… there's no way! It just doesn't make any sense!

I come to a stop in front of her chamber's door.

Surely, when I open the door, she'll just be sitting at her bedside… she'll look to me incredulously and wonder why I've barged into her room with such a deluded expression.

Surely-!

I grab the door handle with a trembling hand.

"Ainz-sama, wait, perhaps you should— !" Albedo cries out desperately, tentatively grasping for my sleeve.

No sooner had a single finger curled around my arm than I wrench away from her.

A tear drops from my chin, unbeknownst to the overseer, upon my handle-gripping hand.

With a quick tug, I yank the door open.

Jade—!

Silence.

My eyes fall immediately upon the homunculus maid, Leah, standing at the bed's side.

Under my sharp and wild gaze, she flinches, clenches her eyes shut.

With a slow shake of her head, her throat lurches ruefully:

"A-ainz-sama…" is all she chokes out.

My eyes dart to her side, at what lays on top of the bed.

And my heart plummets, from its nest of ribs, down into my stomach.

Burns, dissolves, and melts away in a pool of gastric acid.

On autopilot, I stagger forward on buckling knees; my eyes locked unblinkingly, morbidly, on Jade.

With a trembling hand I reach out, grabbing a fistful of damp-gold bedsheet.

Blood… there's so much… blood..!

H-how… why..?

Frantically, fumbling, I reach into my robe and withdraw a wand:

"[Greater Re-raise!]!" I chant.

The blue crystal embedded at the end of the rod glows brightly with the promise of activation.

…

Nothing happens.

_Badump! Badump! Badump!_

My heart is beating fast, faster than it ever has before. Faster, faster, and faster—!

I bring a hand to my chest, white-knuckling a fistful of my robe.

My head is spinning. Why didn't that work? I'm certain this rod has charges in it! The incantation went through, so why—!

_Ta-ting!_

A sudden ring cuts through my heart's thunderous reverberations.

A message window fills my vision.

[Resurrection is not possible for the selected target]

-!

Not possible?! What, why?! I've never seen this message before, that's impossible! There must be a mistake!

"Menu!" I shout, scrolling frantically to the list of Nazarick's denizens. I don't care how much gold it takes to revive her: just please, work!

[Lenora]

My eyes widen. Why... is her name grayed out?

I tap the screen with unnecessary force.

_Ta-ting!_

-!

[Warning: resurrection is not possible for the selected target].

Again?! What the fuck is the matter?!

"**Bullshit!**" I screech, swiping the menu out of existence with a vicious wave of my hand.

Why won't it work?!

Without wasting another moment, I reach into my pocket-space and withdraw a ring.

**[Wish Upon A Star].**

After several uncoordinated attempts, I jam it hastily onto my finger.

"A-Ainz-sama!" the overseer exclaims in astonishment.

I ignore her.

"**[Wish Upon A Star]!"** I bellow in a cracking voice: "[**I wish] **for Lenora to be revived!"

The ring surges with power, conjuring an extravagant mosaic of glyphs beneath my feet.

With my other hand, I reach into my inventory again and withdraw an hour-glass shaped cash-shop item. With a ruthless twist, I snap it in two.

The white glyphs enveloping me swell with white-hot radiance; brighter, brighter, brighter, forming a dome of light around me.

I look to Jade—I can't even breathe.

Please… please!

_Whiiiiirrrrrr..._

My eyes widen hopefully as a light of untraceable origin shines a spotlight on Jade's body.

The… the spell is activating!

Jade! Y-you're coming back! I don't know what happened, what pushed you to do this, but whatever it is… I'll help you! We, all of Nazarick, will help you! I'll never leave your side again, I swear! So… so just open your eyes!

The air in the room crackles shrilly as the incantation reaches its activation threshold.

I shield my eyes from the ensuing flash of light.

I allow a premature smile to crack my face. This has to work!

Jade—!

A moment later, the light dies out.

My eyes flash open.

Time slows to a crawl.

All around me, filling my vision, are the jagged and shattered fragments that composed the spell's glyph a moment prior: floating ethereally, surreally, like pieces of glass suspended in the air—one by one, they melt away into nothingness.

Huh? It… failed?

I can't blink, can't move a muscle—can't wipe the smile off my face.

This is...just like when I had tried to save Shalltear from mind control!

A lump forms in my throat, obstructing my windpipe.

I turn to Jade—her eyes are still closed. Did… did it really not work?

steadying myself against the side of the bed, feeling sick, I peer down at Jade, directly above her.

Any second now—they'll open! I'm sure of it!

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

One eternity, two eternity, three eternity, four.

I clench the bedsheet's fabric harder with each unfathomably long second that passes.

"W-why… didn't it work. It… it should've worked! There's no conceivable reason for it not to have worked!" I whisper shakily, staring directly into Jade's sealed eyes.

_Drip, drip._

Tears, torn from my ducts by gravity, fall down, splatter damply against the angel's pale cheeks.

"Why… why won't you wake up? Why won't you WAKE UP!" I shout furiously, ripping [Wish Upon a Star] from my finger and tossing it violently to the side.

_Tink, tink tink…_

The silver band ricochets off the closed door, bounces to the ground, and rolls—as if to mock—back to my feet. I stare down at the wobbling ring with blank contempt, unable to tear my eyes from it.

What an eyesore. A useless...stupid… fucking item!

"A-Ainz-sama…" Albedo whispers trepidatiously.

"**What?!"** I seethe, still keeping my eyes glued to the piece-of-junk trinket.

Without a word, she silently extends a hand out towards me.

Within her grasp is a folded piece of paper.

I look languidly between her and the note.

"Albedo, if this is some sort of love letter I'm going to—!" I begin, snatching the note out of her grasp.

The overseer flinches as the sheet is ripped from her fingers and offers a bow of her head with a solemn shiver.

I hastily flip the note open: I can barely read it in my trembling clutches.

My heart stops.

_Dear Suzuki,_

I collapse onto the bed, staring vacantly at the note.

"This is…" I trail off in disbelief, bringing a hand to cup over my mouth.

**_Dear Suzuki,_**

**_If you're reading this note... then it means I'm dead._**

**_I'm sorry, but this is how it had to be; please don't blame yourself, it's not your fault. Ever since I came to this world, I figured it would come to this._**

**_I tried looking into a way back to Earth. I spent all night and all morning in the library…_**

**_But it became clear very quickly that such a thing is impossible, Suzuki. There's no way back. There never will be. We're stuck here forever. I was hoping for so long that I'd be able to find a way back home, Suzuki… it was the only thing keeping my going._**

**_The thought of being able to see my family again, my parents, my sister Liz… to be back in England again. I had decided long ago that I would kill myself if I couldn't find a way back home. I just… can't take living in this world. I know I'll never belong here—not like you do. You have a family here, Suzuki, but I'm just an outsider… I realize that, and truth be told, I don't even want to try and fit in here. It's all meaningless to me._**

**_You mean nothing to me._**

**_Nazarick means nothing to me._**

**_And I know that no matter how much time I spent here, it never would never come to mean anything._**

**_You would never mean anything. _**

**_I tried my best to be happy yesterday, pretending that I liked you: I only could because I was clinging to the hope of returning to Earth. I would use you while I could and then leave you behind as soon as I found a way back to Earth, out of this ersatz of a world: that was my plan. But now I realize that'll never happen, so why bother maintaining some hollow facade?_**

**_Don't bother trying to revive me—it's not possible. My class [Sovereign of Light] prevents such a thing. Nothing short of a World Class Item would work… and that's for the best. So don't bother wasting any of your time or precious resources trying… I've wasted enough of your kindness already. _**

**_Goodbye, Suzuki._**

**_Forever_**

**_Jade Willows_**

"No…" I squeeze out, trying my best to keep my voice from cracking.

I crush the note in my hand—squeezing, squeezing, harder, and harder, until it feels like my fingers might dig right through my palm.

And then, as if struck by a [Lifesteal], all the strength in my body leaves.

My arms fall limply to my side: the destroyed note flutters from my faltering grasp with jeering daintiness to the floor below, into a sticky puddle of half-dried blood.

"Th-there's no w-way... " I stammer, my mind racing.

How… how could any of what she said in the note be true..? That she was pretending?

_You don't mean anything to me._

The words cut sharper than any knife could, rending my heart. I raise a hand to clutch at my hollow chest.

Is that… how she truly felt? I meant nothing to her? From the very beginning, she was just planning to abandon me in the end?

I clench my eyes shut as images of Jade flash through my mind.

Her chipper indignance, her bright smiles, her unabashed excitement. Her blushes, laughs, tears—her breakdown when she realized I was a player like her.

"How… how was that all an act, Jade?!" I cry out, clenching my fists angrily.

I grab hold of the sin-stained sword—rip it from its limp-handed owner's grasp—and toss it away.

It clatters against the ground behind me with a discordant clang, an echoing ring that lingers pervasively in my head, drowning all rational thought.

I grab hold of Jade's now-free hand.

So, so cold…

_You'll never mean anything. Goodbye Suzuki, Forever._

"Ainz-sama…" Albedo whispers soothingly, taking hold of my hand, pulling it gently away from Jade.

I don't even have the strength to push her away.

With my other hand, rigid and shaking, I reach out to Jade's face, brush her hair—sticky, ostensibly bloody, plastered to her forehead—aside, and run my knuckles against the side of her cheek.

Her face looks so calm, so serene, like her eyes could flutter open at any moment.

But they don't.

Down, down, down her face, at a snail's pace, my hand travels to her chin, stopping just above her neck; peculiarly and indistinctly gold and black in my blurry vision.

I dare not blink to clear my vision.

I move my hand back up to delicately cup her cheek, the contour of her peaceful expression.

"Come on, Jade… w-wake up, already…" I whisper with a smile, my vision having long-since gone out of focus from my not blinking:

"There's… so much we still need to talk about. How am I supposed to tell you anything if you won't wake up?" I berate, lightly tapping her soft flesh.

Before I realize it, I'm on the ground. When did my legs give out?

"Ainz-sama, I think we should—" Albedo ventures cautiously.

I cut her off with a chuckle.

"Ahaha... Albedo, would you kindly wake Jade up for me? I do believe she's had plenty of time to sleep and I—"

"Ainz-sama!" the overseer shouts more forcefully, shaking my shoulder.

_SNAP._

I blink my eyes; the world becomes clear once again.

Reality becomes clear.

The blood.

The sickening slash in her neck; a hideous gash of charred flesh caked with gold blood.

!

I shake my head, feel my eyes burn with the threat of tears. That's right… how many times do I need to reaffirm the situation to know she's dead?

Dead, dead, dead…

I repeat the word over and over, forcing reality to sink in out of self-loathing frustration.

Dead, dead, dead, she's DEAD!

But even as I think it: It just doesn't make sense! There's no way she would do...this!

It takes all of my effort to keep the word 'suicide' from entering my conscious stream of thought.

Why didn't she tell me anything?! I… I could've… I should've helped..! Surely the two of us could've figured something out, prevented THIS from happening!

So why..?

"Ainz-sama…" Albedo coos, dropping to the ground at my side and wrapping her arms around my neck.

Her wings furl gently around me, protectively, smothering me in a warm blanket of black feathers.

I capitulate.

"Albedo… she was just a child. Did you know that? Only sixteen…" I whisper incoherently, burying my face into her sable wings. The harsh, sinister aura I had been radiating all this time finally dies out.

Albedo says nothing, only squeezes me harder. I feel her, with her chin resting atop my head, begin to shiver. Beyond the veil of her feathers, I hear Leah whimpering as well.

And for a few minutes we remain like that. No movement, no words, no thoughts.

Just the callous words of a suicide note, a soft cacophony whirling softly within my head, evoking all sorts of unkind emotions and guilt.

Empty.

I feel sick.

"Albedo…" I finally whisper.

I can hardly recognize the inflection-less voice that trickles from my own mouth.

"Yes, Ainz-sama?"

"Does anyone else know about what's happened to Jade?"

"... No, Ainz-sama. Leah is the one who found her. She told only myself, and I immediately [messaged] you. I thought it would be best for you to find out first because I honestly did not know what to do…" she explains forlornly.

"I see…"

Slowly pushing Albedo's wings away, I stand up. The shakiness of my limbs has subsided.

I press a hand to my chest: feel the beat of my heart, steadfast, unhysterical.

Empty.

Am I so broken that I've stopped feeling altogether? Am I so broken, so dissociated, that I can even step back from myself and acknowledge how broken I am, without feeling anything?

A cruel, self-deprecating chuckle rings out in my head, in appreciation of how fucked everything is right now.

"Ainz...sama..?" Albedo trails off in bewilderment, looking up at me from the ground.

I turn away from her to conceal my face, which is undoubtedly a strange mask of both nothing and everything.

I… I still have an image to maintain in front of the guardians—assuming such a superfluous thing is even intact. Who knows what Albedo thinks of me right now?

Picking up Suzuki's slack, Ainz forces my mouth open:

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that, Albedo. I'll be retiring to my chambers for the day. Please forgive me. I'd appreciate it if you could forget about having witnessed that pitiful display of emotion—both of you," I pause, shooting a piercing look towards Leah, "—I lost control of my human body's impulses," I explain: "choosing this form, these emotions, was…" I trail off, shooting an apathetic glare back to Jade.

"...a mistake".

Albedo slowly rises from the floor, wiping at the corner of her moist eyes: a dainty, relieved smile blossoming on her face.

"Of course, Ainz-sama. We understand. I can't claim I understand your relationship with Lenora, but it's clear you considered her to be a valuable and trustworthy associate… to find her in this state, and discover she had been scheming behind your back from the very beginning… I can't imagine what that feels like, Ainz-sama," she cries sympathetically, "is there anything I can do to help? To relieve your pain?" she questions, her voice nuanced with subdued hope.

I shake my head slowly.

"Just… tell the guardians what has happened in the meantime. Tell them…"

… 'that Jade is dead' I finish in my head, unable to get the words out.

I walk towards the chamber exit, brushing past the bowing overseer, unable to meet her eyes.

"Understood, Ainz-sama. If there's anything you need—anything at all—don't hesitate to call upon me," she assures unequivocally.

I pause at the doorway, squeezing the door handle tightly, relishing in the momentary comfort the overseer's words had instilled within my embittered heart—Ainz's heart.

I smile wistfully, though I still don't risk looking back.

That's right, no matter what happens… I'll always have Albedo and the guardians.

No matter what, I can trust them. They'd never betray me.

"... Thank you, Albedo…" I whisper hoarsely as I stagger through the doorway.

I just… need to be alone right now.

**...**

As soon as the overlord had left the chamber, the overseer's face twisted into a depraved expression of malevolent glee.

She hugged herself, wrapping her wings—which had been wrapped around Ainz-sama's glorious body for 3 minutes and 46 seconds straight (yes, she counted)—around herself, she twisted back and forth in place.

Although a large part of her, admittedly, detested the fact that she had to lie so audaciously to her Supreme Ruler—everything had gone as she had hoped, and she couldn't be happier.

She could not help but allow a soft trickle of laughter to leak out from her trembling lips, until it grew exponentially, inevitably, into uncontrolled squeals of joy.

Tears of jubilance flowed down her cheeks of rose-tinged ivory, and she leaned down to plant a soft kiss of condescending triumph on Jade's forehead.

Ainz-sama was hers! And soon, he would TRULY be hers. It was only a matter of time, she figured. The sex will be amazing, she knew it in her heart: rough, perhaps even violent, for hours and hours on end until both of their minds went sublimely blank with ecstasy, and all memories of the damned angel were erased from her lord's mind for good.

Yes, she would fill the void in her overlord's heart in no time.

Now, like Ainz—though for a very different reason—Albedo, too, felt that she needed to be alone in order to… 'relieve' herself.

She bit her lower lip to keep a moan from leaking out, and shot an impatient glare towards Leah.

"I'll be heading to my chambers as well. Clean up this mess, but don't worry about the body. I'll attend to that myself later and bring her belongings to Pandora's Actor".

Or maybe, she thought with a sadistic sneer, she would give the corpse to Kyouhuko for a while.

"Understood, Albedo-san" Leah replied stoically.

"And remember: not a word of this to anyone else. Not any of your sisters, not even the members of the Pleiades. Let me handle everything. Understood?" Albedo added threateningly.

The homunculus maid bowed dutifully.

...

**POV Albedo**

**.**

**.**

**.**

Cocytus' abode finally comes into view.

I take a moment to brush the frosted hair out of my face. Even though I have high resistance to [Frostbite] and [Slow] effects, reaching here was quite troublesome.

It's been three days now since we killed Lenora. Three days since the fifth floor's guardian started pouting, wallowing in guilt.

Needless to say, the fifth floor's climate has been volatile, sensitive to its ruler's whims as it is. The floors can, after all, be considered an extension of its respective guardian's body.

Still, I didn't know Cocytus was capable of such poetic petulance.

I sigh with a smile and a slight shake of my head.

And I could've warped right to his home using the ring of AOG, but, well… I don't think Coctyus would take kindly to that.

There's no doubt he knows I'm here, and has known since the moment I stepped into his domain. The fact that an emissary has not been sent to escort me—or that he himself has not come to intercept me—is tantamount to an explicit rejection.

Regardless, he needs to stop sulking. It's only a matter of time before Ainz-sama notices his peculiar demeanour and gets suspicious. I don't have faith that, if confronted by Ainz-sama as he is, Cocytus would be able to keep everything a secret.

Suddenly, just as I pass under a crescent-shaped block of ice arching out from the ground, a syrupy and feminine voice suddenly calls out from above:

"Lady Albedo".

I tilt my head up—about twenty feet above my head, perched upon the ice crystal's peak, is a [Winter Phoenix]. A refined looking bird with fluffy, snow-white plumage, an impossibly sharp and durable beak, and a wingspan of five to seven metres. It's a level 60 monster, with low HP but high magic. Quite intelligent too, relative to most floor-spawned also have an innate ability, like most variants of the phoenix species, to revive themselves once a day after taking lethal damage. That, coupled with the fact that they can fly at high speeds and cast 7th-tier ice magic, makes them extremely effective at harassing enemies invading the 5th-floor. In an area where the environment is enough of a detriment on its own, the phoenixes can be a real nuisance. If the invaders don't have enough ranged combat potential to deal with a large swarm of winter phoenixes—all of which must be killed twice—then a large chunk of their forces' health will inevitably be attrited without any loss on Nazarick's part.

"Speak, bird," I command.

"Forgive me, but I must—with all due respect, Albedo-san—request that you turn back at once. Lord Coctyus does not wish to be disturbed right now and has tasked me with informing any visitors that—".

I raise a hand, silencing the bird's trite explanation.

"Spare me, I've heard it several times already. An [Ice Drake], a [Cryolax], and a [Tundra Mole] have already intercepted me on my way here," I spit out dismissively.

The phoenix takes a moment to anxiously readjust its wings against the sides of its body.

"I-is that so..?"

"It is".

"Then I'm sure that they also informed you of Cocytus-dono's… er, sour mood?" the phoenix ventures euphemistically.

"Yes, they did".

"I… I see. Well, I am not so ignorant or foolish as to insist on impeding the guardian overseer's business. I hope you understand, though, that I had to at least try…" the bird explains, dipping its head respectfully.

"No, I understand you were only doing your duty. Now, I really must speak with Coctyus," I declare before continuing onwards.

It's so quiet all of a sudden. Perhaps the floor has gone silent within Cocytus' vicinity out of respect for his palpable irritability? Even the wind itself is waning with each step I take towards the palace of ice.

The only thing disturbing the silence is me, the crunch of snow under my boots.

_Crunch crunch._

I come to a stop just in front of Cocytus' door and wait a few moments.

Silence.

I purse my lips. Is he really still that distraught? I open my mouth tentatively, letting it hang open uselessly for a moment.

"Cocyt—"

"Leave. Me. Alone" comes the gruff—even gruffer than usual—response.

"Cocytus, would you just open the door? I must speak with you, it's urgent".

"I. Do. Not. Wish. To. Talk" he reiterates curtly.

I clench my fist. Is he a child?! He 'doesn't want to'?!

"Cocytus, as the guardian overseer of Nazarick I order you to open the door right now!" I order, slamming my fist into the door.

Silence.

Enough of this! I don't have time for this!

I reach out to my side, brandishing my axe from the void. I wind back, preparing to cleave the icy wall open.

"... Albedo," comes a gravely quiet voice just as I flex my muscles in preparation to swing.

I pause in surprise.

"...Can. You. Feel. It. Albedo?" Cocytus continues quietly.

I cock my head to the side, a peculiar chill running down my spine that I can't fully attribute to the fifth floor's frigidity.

I hear movement beyond the other side of the ice.

"Ainz-sama… He. Is. Suffering. Albedo," the voice concludes sorrowfully: sounding so vulnerable, so hollow—not at all like the proud certainty the icy warrior's voice usually exudes.

My heart skips a beat. I lower my axe.

"Of… of course I know that…" I mutter.

Even now, from this distance, I can feel it. Ainz-sama's heart…

I press a hand against my own chest and close my eyes, attuning to the Supreme One's presence.

I feel my eyes grow moist behind my eyelids: they flutter open, and the icy wind quickly whisks the tears away.

Day in, day out, Ainz-sama has secluded himself within Nazarick's library and refused to see anyone. Researching, researching, researching… all so he can… so she can..!

I place my other hand over the one I had placed over my chest to keep it from trembling and draw in a deep breath.

Silence.

_Kcch..._

I startle slightly as the icy wall in front of me suddenly slides open, revealing Cocytus.

A solemn blast of cool air surges from his mouth, numbing my cheeks and desiccating my eyes.

I keep them open, though, and offer a grim smile.

Cocytus' mandibles clatter anxiously.

"Tell. Me. Albedo… Do. You. Still. Think. We. Did. The. Right. Thing?" he asks soberly, looking searchingly into my eyes.

I look away, off into the direction Nazarick's library.

My mouth opens subconsciously.

"I… I don't know…"


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hello there! I hope all of you and your families are all doing well. **

**As for me, I'm doing rather wonderfully: my work hours have recently been cut back, and my school year is officially DONE. (and I know what you're thinking: "Bruh, we don't care if you're doing well or not, just give us your usual lame excuse for a criminally long gap between chapters and then shut up so we can read your [insert profanity] chapter already!") **

**okay, okay, yeesh... I'll have you know, exams and final assignments have been keeping me very occupied these last three weeks.**

**But now that that's all out of the way, it means I now have a lot more free time to dedicate towards writing this story!**

**Rejoice! Never again will there be a month-long break between updates! (And by 'never' I mean the next four months or so, before the next academic year begins: but this story should be over by then, so that's rather irrelevant).**

**(oh and on another note, I love all the comments I've received saying "this story's tags are all wrong, this isn't 'humour' at all :O!" **

**I'll have you know I considered changing it after the last two chapters, but now, out of spite, I won't :devilface: humour is subjective anyway, you know?)**

**On with the chapter!**

**Chapter 20**

"**Calm Before the Storm"**

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

_**No.**_

No, no, no, no, no—nothing is working.

I tap an index finger against my skull as I toss yet another book into the discouragingly mountainous discard pile.

Is there really nothing—amongst all that Nazarick's library has to offer—that can guide me in the right direction?

I've been poring over text after text for nearly three days now, ceaselessly scouring every possibly useful document: even books whose relevance to my quest was dubious at best but had even the slightest chance of providing me with the information I seek—I've read them all.

Theology of questionable foundation, mind-numbing philosophy, arcane tomes written by rigid-minded spellcasters with nauseating pomposity, frustratingly jargon-riddled research papers, tedious lore-bits, fictions, diaries, EVERYTHING!

and what do I have to show for it?!

_**Nothing!**_

I'm no closer to resurrecting Jade than I was the day she died!

I slam my fist into the desk in front of me.

And an instant later—

_Ta-ting!_

[Emotion Suppressor has activated]

I sigh hollowly for the umpteenth time today and relax back into my seat, unclenching my skeletal hand so that it may hang limply at my side.

… at least I have the comforting insurance of undeath to help me through this.

The day I learned Jade had died, I just went numb and secluded myself within my chamber for the rest of the evening.

The second day, however…

I was a complete mess. I had overcome my shock, and all that remained was a heart-wrenching sense of loss. I set out immediately to begin my research in the library, frantically tearing books off the shelves in search of a way to revive Jade.

But I couldn't focus, couldn't think straight. Nothing I read was registering in my head: nothing made it through the veil of blurry vision. Within three hours of waking up, I was completely exhausted and emotionally drained.

It became clear very quickly that I would make no progress that way.

Flesh, and all its inherent fragilities, were hardly conducive to conducting magical research—no, it was nothing but a burden.

And so I did what needed to be done: that which I never thought I would ever even consider.

I forsook my humanity.

And yet, even after going so far as to devise a spell to undo [Greater Elicit Emotion], I have absolutely nothing to show for it.

'Nothing'

_You mean nothing to me, Suzuki. And you never will._

… is that how our relationship will end after all? Is there really nothing I can do? Is her class restriction really an infallible obstacle, even for the great Ainz Ooal Gown?

…

[Emotion Suppressor has activated].

"Ah good evening, Mare. I assume your being here means that you've successfully completed all of your tasks for today?" I hear Librarian J greet.

I lean back in my chair to peer beyond the bookshelf obstructing my line of sight—there stands the dark-elf druid, standing timidly, as usual, just barely tall enough for his eyes to peek above the admittedly-gigantic front desk.

"U-um, y-yes, that's right!" the druid squeaks.

J nods his head contentedly: "Wonderful. As luck would have it, I have just finished sorting out an old collection of books I had been reading, and in so doing I discovered a book I thought you might be interested in— it's one of Titus' favourites, and you two seem to have similar tastes. I'm quite positive you haven't read it yet," J reveals, producing a rather thick-spined book and sliding it across the desk.

The druid's eyes widen hungrily.

"A-ah! Thank you so much, J-san!" Mare exclaims happily, going on his tip-toes for a moment to claim the gift. Though his back is now turned to me, I can vividly picture his enthused expression.

How adorable.

"So you haven't read it before?" J inquires for confirmation.

"N-no I haven't!"

"Excellent. Well, I'll leave you to it then: do tell me if you enjoy it".

"I-I will!" the dark-elf exclaims awkwardly before offering a quick bow and turning away, scurrying back out the entrance.

"Ah, you won't be reading it here?" J called out in surprise at the druid's receding back.

I cock my head to the side in confusion. That's strange… not even a hello? There's no way he didn't sense my presence… is he avoiding me for some reason? Ah, but maybe he's just excited to read his new book and wants to be left alone. Or perhaps he's just being considerate so as to not disturb me while I'm researching.

Ahhhh I should've just called out to him, I could really use a break… should I go and seek him out? No, no, that would be going too far—and unfair of me, after he's probably only just about to crack open his book. What kind of boss would I be to impose myself on a subordinate during their time off?

I shake my head.

Look at me, able to entertain such a vapid train of thought when the verdict of Jade's death is all but set in stone.

Haaa… I should get back to it, I suppose. Surely, I'm on the verge of a breakthrough: there is no magic-related problem the great Ainz Ooal Gown can't overcome!

_Ta-ting!_

[Emotion Suppressor has activated]

**POV Neia**

**.**

**.**

**.**

A warm tickle against my face—the polite yet persistent knocking of reality, filtering in through the window to elicit my consciousness.

My eyes flutter open, only to clamp shut in protest of the blinding light. I smack my lips together, unbearably dry and chapped, compelling me to languidly roll my coarse tongue against the grimy roof of my mouth, succeeding only at spreading a rancid taste around.

I grimace, and attempt to open my eyes again—thankfully, the light is suddenly blocked out as a shadowy face fills my vision.

I squint dopily:

"El..tric..?" I croak.

"Neia, you're finally awake!" he cries elatedly, cupping the side of my face with a hand.

"What..? Where..?" I stammer incoherently, trying to turn my head to look around the room. I feel terribly stiff, like my body's a machine that became crusty with rust from disuse.

"You're back at the outpost, captain, in your chamber," Eltric explains.

"I… is that so..? What happ—"

No. I remember now. Before I blacked out… I was in the temple with Ainz, and then…

!

I bolt upright in my bed, much to Eltric's surprise.

"What happened, are the people of Mellevitch okay?!" I demand, grabbing him by the shoulders.

The astonishment on his face quickly evaporates, revealing a foreboding grimace. He averts his gaze to the ground and purses his lips.

"Eltric..? What happened?" I press softly, a pit forming in my stomach.

"**No,**" another voice, stern and bitter, cuts in. I whirl around to the source of the sound.

!

"R-remedios..?" I stutter incredulously as I finally notice the paladin leaning against my chamber's doorframe.

Her arms are crossed indignantly over her chest, and as though the sound of my voice had grated her nerves, her already-hard expression scrunches up dourly.

Her eyelids flash open—as they had been closed—unveiling a piercing gaze that very much reminds me of my days as a mere squire.

"No, they're not okay, Baraja," Remedios seethes, pushing off from the door to take a confrontational step towards my bedside.

"Hey, she just woke up for God's sa—" Eltric interjects, boldly standing up to intercept the paladin.

"Shut up," Remedios growls: "she's been sleeping for three days now, and my patience has worn thin. She's the only one who knows what's going on".

My eyes widen.

"T-three days..?" I repeat in disbelief.

"That's right," Remedios snarls back, pushing Eltric aside with unwarranted force, slamming his back against the wall.

"Eltric, I'm fine, really!" I insist imploringly upon seeing him begin to open his mouth again, cutting him off before he can say something both he and I would regret.

With a scowl, he reluctantly leans back against the wall. I let out a quiet sigh of relief as the bulging vein on his neck disappears from sight.

"Over two hundred!" Remedios cries jarringly, grabbing me with both hands by the collar of my shirt and wrenching me up to her face, until we're mere inches apart.

"T-wo-hundred what..?" I stammer.

"Don't play dumb! Two hundred DEAD! Murdered in cold-blood by that despicable undead! I knew he couldn't be trusted!" she shouts furiously.

My head spins with nauseous recollection: that's right, on that day…

Images of writhing bodies, twisting limbs, desperate faces and bloodshot eyes flash through my eyes.

My throat lurches with bile. So that wasn't just a nightmare!

A shiver runs down my spine. Just what—that this 'Albedo' told him—could twist a kind man like the Sorcerer King to do something so heinous? That malicious, murderous intent he gave off… it really was like that of any other undead's. But his face! The immense pain and despair it reflected…!

"Oh good, you've finally come to your senses!" Remedios shouts sarcastically upon noticing the assured pallor of my face. With a forceful shove, she releases me.

"I'll only ask one more time," the paladin begins harshly, turning her back to me. I gulp as she clenches her fists shut, her whole body trembling erratically.

"...what the HELL happened?!"

...

And so I recounted every detail that I could remember. From the moment Ainz-sama touched down at the Northern Wall's outpost, to our stroll through the forest, to the overbearingly-gracious reception we received upon reaching Mellevitch… to the tragedy itself, in as much gruesome detail as my queasy stomach could handle, just as Remedios demanded.

When I finally finished, I could tell the paladin was, understandably, unsatisfied.

"So that's it? He suddenly snapped and killed everyone around him?!" She spits out after a moment of silence, her nose wrinkling as though she found his lack of incentive to be a personal attack against her:

"He was perfectly fine right up until that point, and then BAM, that's it?!"

I nod my head solemnly.

"I… I don't understand it myself," I confess lamely.

"I wonder if that is the case… truthfully, I find that hard to believe," she trails off contemptuously: "but anyway, I KNOW why the Sorcerer King did what he did. It's painfully obvious, isn't it?! He's an undead: end of discussion! I knew it all along—he doesn't care about the living at all! He's just like the rest of them! And quite frankly, I'm inclined to believe he's corrupted you as well: even now, I can see it in your eyes—you're not mourning our people's deaths at all, you're more concerned about the undead who killed them!" she accuses with a morbidly deranged expression.

!

She's right… I had only given our people a fleeting thought. Two hundred lives, eradicated... but even as I think about it now, I hardly feel anything.

When did I become so insensitive..?

I shake my head. Putting aside my questionable morality for now...

I purse my lips. I've made a mistake, talking to Remedios like this. Of course she would jump at the chance to condemn the Sorcerer King like this… she's probably been waiting all these weeks for such an occasion. Worst of all, I can't even challenge her this time, no matter how much it pains me to hear her badmouth Ainz-sama.

What can I say to convince her? I know in my heart that the magnanimous Sorcerer King must have had a good reason for his ostensibly indefensible... actions.

The word 'Slaughter' flashes through the back of my mind. I clench my eyes shut, pushing it away.

Much to my chagrin, Eltric takes a step forward before I can even leave my own headspace:

"That's not fair, Remedios. Not everyone needs to reduce themselves to a blubbering, hysterical mess in order to express grief!"

"What did you just say?!" Remedios bellows furiously, even going so far as to grip the hilt of her sword.

My heart skips a beat.

"Remedios-san, please overlook my sub-commander's unwarranted comment. Now, please tell me: what brings you, the Holy Kingdom's esteemed general, to the Northern outpost? Surely Eltric or anyone else could have told me what happened: such information did not need to come directly from your own lips. And I have a sneaking suspicion you didn't come all the way here from the capital and linger for three days out of concern for my well-being," I toss out quickly, drawing her attention away from Eltric, whom, unbeknownst to the man himself, was seconds away from being skewered.

Taking on a deep frown, Remedios lets out a heavy sigh.

"I've heard just about all I need to hear to confirm my suspicions. I came to put an end to your diabolical little game, Baraja," Remedios assures, turning back to face me with a disturbingly triumphant sneer.

"Suspicions..?"

"The Kingdom is in upheaval," the paladin continues, ignoring my pursuit of clarification: "despite your best efforts to elevate that foul undead up on a golden pedestal, everyone's seen his true colours now. Nobody will believe your lies anymore, 'Death's Ranger'," she spits mockingly: "many are even demanding retribution".

Retribution..?

The word rolls playfully around in my head, along with all of its ludicrous implications.

"That's right, " Remedios says upon noticing my worried expression: "the Sorcerer King must be held accountable for his actions. And the people want blood".

!

"What? That's utterly insane! After all he's done for us—there has to be an explanation for what he did! There has to be! He saved our entire kingdom, for God's sake! And besides, we can't wage war against the Sorcerer Kingdom, that's suicide!" I seethe in frustration, knowing full well the insufferable paladin before me was likely the first person to advocate such a thing.

"Don't worry, Baraja. I understand those things very well," Remedios trails off in a surprisingly calm voice; a far more potent silencer than if she had simply raised her voice another octave.

"You… you do?" I stammer in astonishment. Eltric has a similarly bewildered expression.

"Yes, I understand perfectly well that we can't wage war against the Sorcerer King. I know you must think less of the Roble Kingdom after fawning over the Sorcerer King all this time, but our people are not so naive as to demand such a thing. The trauma Jaldabaoth inflicted is still a fresh wound for a great many people, and nobody, not even myself, can deny that the Sorcerer King played an intrinsic role in the demon emperor's demise," the paladin admits with a capitulating nod.

I can hardly believe my ears. She seems to have done a complete one-eighty all of sudden.

"So… so then…" I begin hopefully, still very much confused. I exchange a brief look with Eltric through the corner of my eye.

"But blood must still be paid, Neia," Remedios repeats, and the sound of my name rolling off her tongue sends a revolting shiver down my back.

"—and after a brief investigation, it became clear just who should be held accountable—some of the Sorcerer King's blood, still within the Roble Kingdom," she assures with a venomous ambiguity that makes my throat clench.

There's only one person she could be referring to.

"Now, hold on, surely you don't mean—!" Eltric begins to protest.

But no sooner had he stepped off from the wall than the edge of Remedios' blade found itself directly under his throat. She flashes me a disturbing grin.

"Neia Baraja, you are charged with high-treason against the holy state, for colluding with the undead, the natural and eternal enemy of this Kingdom's sanctity and all of its people," Remedios rattles off in a rhythm that suggests she had rehearsed the line many times.

A moment later, two more paladins enter the room and rush to either side of my bed.

"H-hey!" I cry in surprise as they both—each forcefully sliding an arm under my armpit—lift me up off the bed to my feet with a violent wrench.

"What's the meaning of this! Let her go! Neia!" Eltric cries out desperately, but Remedios' blade pressed firmly against his throat prevents him from intervening.

"Baraja-dono, in the name of His Majesty and the Holy Roble Kingdom, you are sentenced—" Remedios begins as the guards begin to drag me away.

"—To death".

I meet Eltric's eyes for a moment before the corridor's wall severs our connection. The look of panicked helplessness in his eyes twists my heart in half.

'I'll be fine, don't worry' I tried to convey with a weak smile.

The Sorcerer King will save me.

…

"CZ, have you seen Lupusregina anywhere?" Yuri Alpha asked in a slightly annoyed voice.

It was frustrating, after all: despite being one of the eldest sisters, Lupusregina was without a doubt the most problematic. Always running off without telling anyone, exacerbating one thing or another.

CZ stopped petting the penguin plush pressed lovingly against her chest.

No, wait…

Yuri took a moment to adjust her glasses, squinting over her younger sister's shoulder.

"P-please… m-mercy… mercy..!" Eclair choked out, wriggling frantically within the young girl's smothering grip.

"CZ," Yuri began in a stern, maternal voice: "how many times have I told you to leave Eclair alone during the day? You can't just hold him hostage whenever you want: he has important duties to complete".

CZ stuck out her bottom lip.

"But he's cute…"

In petulant defiance of her sister's scolding, CZ only squeezed the penguin-butler tighter to her chest.

"Noooooooo…" Eclair squeaked desperately, sounding very much like a dog's chew toy—his final breath, it would seem, as the last bit of oxygen he had desperately been clinging to was forcefully evicted from his lungs.

Now he lay limp in the maid's grasp, dangling and unmoving.

"Ah… I broke him again…" CZ lamented in a dry tone—but still gave no impression that she intended to release him.

'Again'?!

Raising a hand to massage her temples, Yuri sighed exasperatedly.

"Putting that aside for now, please answer my previous question, CZ," she asked again.

The orange-haired maid let out a thoughtful hum, tilting her head back far enough so that her eyes could meet Yuri's.

"She left about ten minutes ago. Said she had something important to do".

"Something important..?"

CZ nodded her head before quickly turning her attention back to the penguin in her arms—whose puckered face was taking on a perturbing shade of purple.

Yuri pursed her lips. As meticulous as she was, she always made an effort to keep tabs on all of her sisters' tasks.

She couldn't think of anything 'important' that Lupusregina had to do today—at least nothing that the redhead herself would deem as such by her inarguably skewed standards.

"Did she give any more details than that?" Yuri pressed.

CZ shook her head.

"... She did seem… anxious, though," she added quietly a moment later.

Yuri brought a finger to her chin, clicking her tongue nervously.

And with that, the pit in her stomach had officially solidified. She had a feeling—no, she KNEW, that Lupusregina was interfering with something she probably shouldn't be involved in.

Call it an elder sister's 'sixth sense', a remarkably unerring (or 'annoying', depending on who you asked) intuition when it came to her sisters.

She looked up to the ceiling with a wrinkled nose, preemptively considering a multitude of potential punishments for her sister when she finally did return—regardless of how severe a mistake Lupusregina made, she would have something appropriate ready.

…

Lupusregina's heart was beating faster than it possibly ever had before, as she bolted down the ninth floor's corridors at a fear-induced velocity.

_Badump! Badump! Badump!_

The deed was done. It was out of her hands now—literally.

'It', the thing she had anonymously deposited outside the Supreme One's chamber: a veritable bomb that could very well yield catastrophic repercussions for all of Nazarick.

But it was the right thing to do, surely. The aching pain she sensed emanating from beyond the closed door told her as much.

But that didn't mean she was any less afraid of what may come in the imminent future: she was scared shitless, waiting for the time-bomb she planted to explode.

She came to a screeching halt, a mere hop, skip, and jump away from the Pleiades' room.

She whirled around to face the direction she had just come from with beads of sweat—not from physical exertion, of course—trickling down her tanned face.

Maybe she should go and retrieve it. Maybe… maybe she had made a mistake after all! She had been too afraid to knock, so it was possible the Overlord had not even noticed yet!

But her legs would not move. She could not decide.

Backwards or forwards? Perhaps there was still time. Perhaps there wasn't. Either way, she would need to decide quickly, or she would have no choice at a—

"**Hmm? And where were you headed to in such a hurry?**" a chilling voice suddenly cut through the air:

"**Or rather, where were you headed from..?"**

Lupusregina's back stiffened for only a moment before she turned around to face the voice with a grin.

"Wah! A-A-Albedo-san..! You really startled me, _pupupu~"_ she cried with a _put-put_ of laughter.

But she knew, from the warm smile etched onto the overseer's face, that her hastily-erected facade had failed.

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to frighten you… but for you to be such a clammy mess! Is something **troubling you?**" Albedo asked with portent emphasis, pushing off from the corner of the hallway's bend she had been leaning against.

Lupusregina's mask crumpled instantly in response to the overseer's vicious sincerity.

"N-no, I-I'm fine, I was just…" the Pleiades sister trailed off quietly, choking on her words as the succubus strutted towards her. The muscles in her legs had stiffened into inoperability.

"Lupusregina-san…" Albedo continued sweetly, curling her fingers around the maid's chin.

the red-headed maid clenched her eyes shut in response to the overseer's icy grip, forcing a single tear out from her eyes.

The overseer leaned in close: gold eyes boring into gold eyes.

"What's with that expression?" Albedo asked curiously, the hot air of her breath tickling the wolf's sensitive ear.

!

Opening her mouth, the succubus flicked her tongue across the caramel cheek, intercepting a tear, lapping it up.

"Mmm… how bitter. So tell me… what have you done to burden yourself with such bitterness?" she inquired gently, extending an open hand out to her side.

_Schhhing!_

An instant later, Lupusregina felt the sharp edge of the just-materialized axe prickle her throat, compelling her to lift her chin up.

"N-nothing, A-Albedo, I was just—!"

Her words caught in her throat, however, as Albedo's axe suddenly vanished into thin air.

A moment later—

"Ahem, if I may intrude upon your conversation," a calm voice rang out.

Both Lupusregina and Albedo whirled around in unison—one in surprise, one in annoyance.

"Ah, Sebas!" Albedo cried—her icy tone from a moment ago having completely thawed, a transformation that made even the 'smiling-mask sadist' Lupusregina shiver with fright: "is there something you need?"

The butler took a moment to cough into his hand.

"Ah, no, nothing like that... I merely thought I could shed some light on the situation," he continued, his arms folded neatly—stiffly—behind his back as he stood, statue-still.

"Is that so..?" Albedo asked dubiously with a perplexingly curious sneer.

"Yes, it is. You see, Lupusregina-san was just on her way to assist me with something," Sebas explained, shifting his stoic gaze to meet Lupusregina's eyes for the briefest of moments.

The wolf was, admittedly, not the most perceptive: but even she could plainly discern the butler's intentions, conveyed expressly through hard yet empathetic eyes.

'I'm here to save you'.

It made her eyes begin to water with relief, and it took all of her effort to stifle a sniffle.

"I see… 'something', you say," Albedo reiterated with an inscrutable expression.

"Yes. I am having a meeting with all the Pleiades and a handful of other maids in order to discuss possible ways by which we might help alleviate Ainz-sama's burden during these difficult times," he elaborated.

The overseer flashed a delighted grin—fake or not, Lupusregina could no longer tell anymore.

"Oh, what a wonderful idea, Sebas! I've been trying to think of ideas regarding that very matter: perhaps you would benefit from my input?" she suggested.

The butler narrowed his eyes.

"No, I don't think that will be necessary".

"Hoh?" the overseer hummed: "it's unlike you to reject my aid so bluntly, Sebas. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were hiding something from me," she pressed, reciprocating with an equally narrow gaze.

The ensuing silence, although only seconds long, charged the air with a palpable tension, an indistinct yet overwhelming passive-aggressive pressure. Lupusregina felt her knees liquify, turn to jelly, and she wobbled in place.

Finally, Sebas offered a couth smile.

"Albedo-san, you know I would never dream of doing such a thing. Forgive me, I did not mean to offend: I simply believe that the matters we will likely be discussing shall pertain strictly to duties that only the maids are qualified to perform. I suspect you have enough on your plate as is, Albedo, and so there is no need to concern yourself with such things," he explained thoughtfully.

More unbearable silence. Lupusregina felt like her heart might burst through her eardrums at any moment.

"...I see. I suppose you have a point," Albedo conceded after an agonizingly long time.

"I'm glad you understand. Now then, Lupusregina, the others are waiting," Sebas called, extending a gloved hand out towards her with a warm smile.

Slowly, perhaps a bit reluctantly, the overseer released her hostage.

"R-right!" Lupusregina replied, forcing herself to take measured steps so as not to seem too eager.

She reached her shaking hand out to accept Sebas', squeezing it tightly for comfort. It was pitiful, she knew, but she couldn't help it. The butler nodded his head in understanding.

"Then… sorry for the misunderstanding, Albedo-san!" Lupusregina apologized meekly after regaining a bit of her composure, turning back around to offer a respectful bow. It took all of her concentration to keep her upper body from trembling.

Albedo silently nodded her head in acknowledgement, eyes closed with an inexplicably off-putting smile.

"Do not worry. I hope you'll forgive me for delaying your meeting," she finally said.

No sooner had Lupusregina righted herself than Sebas placed a reassuring hand on her back.

Placing his other hand over his heart, he dipped his own head politely:

"Then, if you'll excuse us".

He announced their departure before promptly turning Lupusregina around, ushering her towards the bend in the corridor.

Just a few more steps—!

"Oh, and Sebas," Albedo called out.

_**Click-click**__._

Sebas' dress shoes clicked loudly against the marble floor as he came to an abrupt halt. He lifted his head but did not turn around. Lupusregina looked up from his side, surprised to see an uncharacteristically cold expression.

The maid held her breath as she felt his fingers tense against her back, daring not to turn around herself.

"... Lupusregina-san seems to be feeling ill today, try not to push her too hard," the succubus finally said.

The butler's shoulders relaxed slightly.

"...I appreciate the concern, I will keep that in mind," he replied stiffly before continuing on.

Finally, they rounded the corner, out of Albedo's sight.

Lupusregina let out a long breath, the stale air held captive by the overseer's excruciating pressure. She drew in a shaky breath, pressing herself against Sebas' side for support like a frightened child.

"T-thank you…" she stammered.

"Do not mention it. Let's keep walking a while longer though: I'll escort you back to your chamber," he replied in a soothing, fruity tone.

Lupusregina's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, dipping her head to hide her face but nodding emphatically nonetheless.

Silence.

They rounded another corner, and then another: finally, the door to the Pleiades' room came into view.

"... So am I to assume _**he **_knows?" Sebas finally asked in a sober—perhaps wistful—tone, shattering the silence.

!

Lupusregina stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening in surprise.

That's right. Because of what she did, in all likelihood, Sebas will be..!

He knew what she had just done, and yet he still helped her...

The merciless sting of tears assaulted her eyes yet again, blurred her vision with guilt. Perhaps she had made the wrong decision after all!

"Sebas, I'm—!" she began to apologize in a crackling voice, but stopped as she felt a silky cloth dab at the corner of her left eye.

Wordlessly, Sebas retracted his hand and returned his now-damp handkerchief to his suit pocket. Then, he offered a warmly-melancholic smile that threatened to tear the distraught maid's heart asunder.

"There is nothing to apologize for. I do not know—or care to know—how you learned the truth, but…"

He paused for a moment to stare longingly down the adjacent hallway, which fed directly to the throne room. Perhaps it was her own compromised vision playing tricks on her, or just the way the hallway's dim lighting reflected off his face: but Lupusregina could've sworn she saw the butler's own eyes begin to glisten moistly.

"... thank you, Lupusregina. For doing that which I could not," he whispered softly, turning away from her, feeling very ashamed.

Lupusregina clenched her eyes shut, unable to look at him any longer.

"There is no need to cry. 'Just punishment befalls those who act unjustly': that is the way things should be," Sebas added with a resolute nod: "come what may: my only hope is that the collateral damage will be kept to a minimum… but as merciful as Ainz-sama is—"

_**Kra-koom!**_

"—I fear we may have gone too far".

Lupusregina's eyes widened as the floor beneath them—all of Nazarick, in fact—rumbled harrowingly, resonating with the horrifying explosion of raw emotion that rippled through the air.

The source was unquestionable. It was the third time that week that this had happened, after all, and no denizen of Nazarick could forget this feeling.

But this was, without a doubt, the worst one yet. Cruel, unrestrained, and targeted: weak words like 'anger', 'frustration', or 'sadness'—words that could've labelled the other two outbursts, could no longer be applied.

No, this time, all that could be felt was pure _**Hatred.**_

* * *

**A/N: I know, another cliffhanger. Boooooooooooooo! :p but you can at least take solace in knowing shit WILL go down next chapter. And like I said, next chapter shouldn't take more than a week. Thanks for reading and sticking with this story!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: And here it is, one week later, as promised!**

**I already KNOW some of you guys didn't actually expect this to come out on time. To be fair, neither did I...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 21

"**Cold, Tempered Steel**"

**POV Ainz**

.

.

.

"Hmm… maybe more like this..?" I muse aloud, studying my reflection in the mirror.

I lift my right arm slightly higher. Yeah, that seems about right...

Ahem—

"People of the Holy Roble Kingdom! I am the Sorcerer King! Do not fear, for I come in peace! I've come to..! To… errr…"

'Apologize for losing control of my emotions and slaughtering hundreds of your people for no reason'?!

As if that would work!

With a tired sigh, I deactivate my kingly pose and take a seat on the edge of my bed.

What in the world am I to do? What I did in the town of Mellevitch was unforgivable… an irreconcilable blunder that will undoubtedly not only lead to the abolishment of my 'religion', but utterly ruin the entire populace's perceptions of me and the Sorcerer Kingdom. All the careful planning: weeks of effort, gone, because I couldn't restrain myself..!

I unclench my fist, releasing the handful of bedsheet fabric I had been squeezing.

All of Neia's hard work… I betrayed her and all of my followers. She's been an avid follower of mine since the very beginning, the one who propagated my renown across the land. Forget trying to salvage my relationship with the rest of the Roble Kingdom (as that seems like a lost cause)… how can I make it up to her?

If she's even still alive, that is…

Ahhhhhh...

I flop back onto the bed, burying my face in a pillow.

I haven't even told Albedo or Demiurge about my outburst in the Holy Kingdom yet… I bet even the intellectually-unrivalled strategist will have a hard time deducing my 'reasoning' this time. As conveniently-inventive as he is, no matter how you slice it, all I've done is create a massive setback.

If only I could—

!

Hm? I sense someone outside my chamber.

I look to the closed-door expectantly, waiting for whoever it is to announce themselves.

…

Nothing?

"You may enter," I call out after a few more moments.

Silence.

They're… gone? Who could that have been?

I pinch the bridge of my nose in exasperation: if I was in my human form, I would say I was simply imagining things, but… there was definitely someone there a second ago. Maybe they forgot something and will return in a few minutes? Or maybe they were coming to me for help with something, but just as they reached my door, had a comically-timed epiphany and figured out a solution by themselves?

Ah, thinking about it won't do me any good… I'm just stalling so I don't have to give any more thought to either of the two more pressing matters at hand.

If only I had a REASON to go to the Roble kingdom again—to display my benevolence to the people once again.

I suppose 'Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth 2.0' would be a bit excessive, though? But maybe I should consult the overseer or strategist after all, and get their opinions… yeah, I could play it all off as a test, something along the lines of: 'Demiurge, I have purposefully ruined all of our previous efforts and tarnished my reputation in the Roble Kingdom: how will you go about restoring my image?'

Yes, yes! That's perfect! Finally, SOMETHING goes right for a change.

I bolt upright and eagerly raise a finger to my head, preparing to call Demiurge.

I feel bad about shamelessly foisting my problems onto him yet again, but this time it really can't be hel—!

_Ta-ting!_

"[Ainz-sama]" a deadpan tone rings out in my head.

...That was much too effeminate and youthful to be Demiurge!

"[What is it… CZ-Delta]" I reply, hazarding a guess.

"[Hai. I'm here to report something urgent to you]," she explains.

What uncanny timing!

I clear my throat.

"[Please, tell me what you have to report]".

...

"Your Majesty, it's almost time," Gustav, vice-captain of the Roble Kingdom's paladins, announced with a bow.

Caspond let out a weary sigh, bracing himself against the banister of the balcony overlooking the capital city's square—in the middle of which there was, erected, a gallows being prepped for use.

A heinous criminal, a villainous heretic, was being hanged today.

'Death's Ranger'.

"Is there really no other way to go about this..?" Caspond mused somberly, his eyes glued to the man currently testing the tensile strength of the rope that would soon be wrapped around young Baraja's neck.

Gustav dipped his head with a bitter expression.

"I'm afraid not, Your Majesty. In times like this…" he trailed off for a moment: "it's better to just give the people what they want."

The King bit his lower lip.

"To preserve the peace and prevent an escalation of violence, I know…"

Caspond was only just recently inaugurated as King, but already the crown on his head felt unfathomably heavy.

These were delicate times. The Roble Kingdom was in a volatile state, teetering precariously on the verge of civil war.

The people were at their wit's end.

The aftermath of Jaldabaoth's invasion was nowhere near resolved—many were still homeless, and just about everyone in the Northern half of the country remained psychologically or physically traumatized to some degree.

They lost faith in their Kingdom's authority, its protectors, who could do nothing but depend on the aid of a neighbouring king—an undead, no less—to save them.

The citizens were embittered—Caspond knew this as much. He also knew that the recuperative efforts—to restore the all-but-razed cities' infrastructure and support those who lost everything mere weeks ago—were painfully slow and inadequate: tensions were rising among the populace.

So when news spread, like wildfire, that the Sorcerer King had, ostensibly on a whim, slaughtered hundreds of innocent citizens…

It was what you could say was the last straw to break the proverbial camel's back, catalyzing the release of everyone's pent up anxiety and fear.

The public backlash was far more severe and visceral than Caspond could have imagined.

It was utter pandemonium.

Harnessing—no, taking advantage of their dissatisfaction, Remedios and the Holy Bishop set everyone on a warpath, condemning the Sorcerer King. No doubt, they meant only to restore the Church's crippled reputation.

And it all happened so quickly, before Caspond himself could even raise a finger. It took a concerted effort on his part and several other sensible nobles just to talk the population down from demanding flat-out war against the Sorcerer Kingdom.

But in the end, that's all he could do. The people still demanded blood: something to satiate their needs, quell their fears, give them a false sense of power and control.

And Neia Baraja—at Remedios' own suggestion—was the chosen martyr.

Caspond clenched his fists shut, cursing his own helplessness. Perhaps if he was more experienced as a ruler, he could have tempered his people's displeasure more tactfully.

"Given the circumstances, Bessarez-sama, I believe this is the best possible outcome. One life is a small price to pay for the assurance of the Kingdom's stability. We can't afford to let chaos reign over the country: we'd be back to square one, no better off than we were the day Jaldabaoth was slain," Gustav added, sensing his lord's dissatisfaction.

"..."

Caspond knew in his heart that this was true. It was the only reason he wasn't trying, right this very moment, to implore the people to reconsider.

Sometimes a King must act for his people, regardless of what he himself believes is right. A King must not rule OVER his people: he must rule FOR his people. At least, that's the philosophy Caspond has chosen to subscribe to.

Yet even as he could acknowledge that the hanging of Neia Baraja was, regrettably, the best possible scenario right now, the Holy King could not shake this pervasive anxiety. Though the air was charged with the nipping chill of winter's imminence, it was not, as far as he could tell, because of this that his hands trembled perceptibly against the marble railing even now.

It took him a while to figure out why he felt the way that he did, but it finally occurred to him as he continued to blankly stare at the gallows below.

"Gustav…" he whispered with a tentative breath.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

Caspond removed his hands from the banister, cupping them together over his mouth to breathe warmth upon them. Just as he suspected, the trembling did not stop.

"Answer me this, Gustav, as honestly as you can…" he trailed off, deciding whether or not he should actually give voice to his concern—he was not a particularly superstitious man, and he knew full-well that he did not possess such omnipotence so as to be able to alter the course of reality with words alone, but, the fact remained that superstition was as inextricable a component of God-fearing men as faith itself.

And so if there was even the slightest chance that by giving voice to his concern he would make it more likely to occur, then he would not.

"I will try to answer to the best of my abilities, Your Highness," Gustav assured soberly, oblivious to his lord's dilemma.

"..."

Finally, perhaps inspired by his subordinate's willingness, Caspond decided he could no longer keep it to himself.

"Gustav… what do you think the odds are that the Sorcerer King himself will seek to avenge Baraja's death?"

Gustav's eyes widened in surprise. And before he could find his voice, Caspond quickly added:

"—worse yet, what if he appears before us today?"

Silence.

Finally, the paladin opened his mouth, though it remained gaping in silence for several seconds before the words came out:

"I… I doubt that, Your Majesty. It's been four days since the incident, now, and I feel as though if the Sorcerer King had any further intention of intervening, he would have made a move already. Besides, he killed two hundred of his own devotees… forgive me for being frank, Caspond-sama, but if that isn't an explicit indication that he no longer cares for his followers here in the Roble Kingdom, then I don't know what is," he explained thoughtfully.

Caspond let out a long sigh and watched his translucent white breath drift away into nothingness.

"I see… perhaps you are right, Gustav. Thank you. I think I might just be a bit on edge after all…" he confessed.

The vice-captain offered a casual bow:

"As you should be. I can't begin to imagine the burden you must be carrying right now, Caspond-sama, especially since you only just became King a few weeks ago. I'd say you've carried yourself rather well, Your Highness".

Caspond finally turned around with a faint smile etched onto his weary face. Before he could thank the paladin again for his reassuring input, however—

_**Gong! Gong! Gong!**_

The deep, metallic echoes of the church's bronze bells thundered out, heralding the start of a new hour.

Which meant… that it was now time.

Caspond shot one final glance over the balcony's edge—already, a few dozen people had gathered in eager anticipation. More were flocking from all directions. It would only be a matter of minutes before several hundred people filled the square. Remedios herself had finally made an appearance, with an expression that seemed to Caspond a little too happy. The entertainment-starved peasants had a voracious yet macabre appetite, Caspond inwardly noted, pursing his lips.

Sometimes, as blasphemous a thought that this was, he was ashamed of being human.

But there was no helping it now. As much as he hated it, Caspond knew he would have to make an appearance, to seem as though he was endorsing the execution.

He had to stand united with his people—he had to appear strong and give the impression that he shared their feelings.

"Shall we go, Caspond-sama?" Gustav inquired as though he had been following the King's train of thought.

"Yes, let's…"

Walking side-by-side with his paladin, down the flight of stairs and out the main doors, the Holy King could not help but notice that his hands were still shaking.

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

Okay, okay, I think I'm ready! I've got my grand-entrance pose and opening lines all memorized. I would've liked a bit more time to prepare, but I should be cautious and leave a bit early in case things progress more quickly than I've calculated.

I will save Neia—and at the same time, hopefully, clear my name!

I slap both sides of my face—an admittedly much less invigorating ritual of self-preparation when there isn't any flesh or any nerves to stimulate, but…

I shake my head. Stay focused, Ainz!

I've decided to open a [Gate] in the sky and address the Roble Kingdom from above—I think it'll have a big impact as everyone cranes their necks up to see me, high above them, only for me to humbly touch down on the ground and begin my apology. Like a God bringing himself down on equal footing with mortals...

It's perfect! Well, perhaps a bit cheesy, but not by this world's standards!

"[Fly]," I chant, imbuing myself with a faint blue light.

My room is a bit cramped to conjure a portal, so I'll have to step outside of my room.

I reach for the door handle and whip it open with unwarranted force.

"[Gate]" I chant, conjuring forth a swirling vortex just outside my door.

I take a step forward, fake staff of Ainz-Ooal Gown in hand.

Hang on Neia, I'm comi—!

_Thok_!

Hmm?

I look down at the ground, having felt my foot hit something.

!

For a second, my heart skips a beat as the unremarkable black book at my feet appears quite similar to my own personal journal—but a cursory inspection is enough to reveal that it is not. The spine is completely different.

Uwahhh! can you imagine if I had left it somewhere and one of the NPC's had happened upon it and discovered such supreme-ruler-worthy notes like 'Royal Poses 1-68'.

I'd be finished!

Letting out a sigh of relief, I bend over and pick it up.

The cover is completely blank, revealing nothing about the (what I presume to be a) journal's contents.

Who does it belong to? Ah, was this perhaps left by that person who came by a short while ago? It must not be important, then, if they didn't feel the need to hand-deliver it to me directly.

Ah, I'm getting lost in my head again, I don't have time to speculate when I can just confirm what this is with the flip of a page!

I open the cover.

And time stops.

* * *

This Diary Belongs to:

Jade Willows

* * *

This is..!

My train of thought stagnates in disbelief. With a nervous swallow, I immediately flip to the next page.

* * *

Hey… me! Because I'm sure you (me?) will be the only one to ever read this… but apparently, writing things down can be a good way to process your feelings… at least that's what Liz has always assured me. I have enough trouble as is expressing myself sometimes, so now—since I've been transported into a virtual world—seems like as good a time as any to test her claim. (Though if Liz believes in it, it probably won't be of any help -_-).

So this is my first entry: day 1, of being ACTUALLY in Yggdrasil. A phenomenon that's as fascinating as it is terrifying… I don't know how this happened, but I've tried accessing menus and player functions: so far no good. I seem to have assumed the identity of my in-game avatar, Lenora: I've retained all of my equipment, abilities, stats, and even my appearance. (Just tried using a spell: it was surprisingly easy, even without any interface to guide me as there was in-game, further enforcing the fact that I've fully become Lenora. It's completely intuitive.

(Also, in so doing, I accidentally burned down a significant portion of a deciduous forest down in the process. Whoops.)

I've tried sending a message to the devs of the game, but there was no response. No way to 'log out' either… of course, I knew things wouldn't be that easy...

I wasn't doing anything remarkable before the Yggdrasil servers shut down—nothing that I believe could explain my transportation to this world. With that in mind, the only logical variable left to blame is the shutting-down of Yggdrasil's servers itself, and so my tentative theory is as follows: the abrupt and instantaneous severing of the connection between Yggdrasil's servers and the nanotechnology within the interface system and within my body caused a malfunction. As there were no longer any active servers to communicate with the nanobots—and thus no way to relay the confirmation that I had 'logged out' from the game—it effectively resulted in the entrapment of my consciousness within the game's system. I can't withdraw from the system until the nanotechnology influencing my brain is told that I've logged out.

But there are lots of issues with this theory. Namely, how such a renowned dive-game corporation could have overlooked something as important as a function that logs players out of the interface when the servers shut down. Another problem is that I've never heard of a similar issue happening in the past—not even in the early days of deep-dive technology, during which I feel such glaring bugs would've been eradicated. And so perhaps it was just a glitch, a core malfunction within the mother server during the system shutdown… or maybe someone purposefully tampered with the coding (a recently-fired, spiteful employee perhaps?!) to trap everyone's consciousness within the game!

… Sorry, that's just my inner-conspiracist running away with things. That's highly improbable. (Am I weird for joking to myself? Am I weird for asking myself if I'm weird for joking to myself? This whole diary schtick feels weird).

But I will admit, now that I've reached the end of this page, I think I do feel a bit better. Who could have thought Liz was actually right for once? It's nighttime now… and though I'm not sure if Lenora requires it, Jade is certainly demanding some sleep.

Feeling: uncertain.

* * *

With a trembling hand, I don't wast a single moment before flipping to the next page.

* * *

Okay, so I missed a day, actually… this is day three of my being here in the 'New World'. (Time is relative, though—who knows how long it's been back on Earth? Perhaps it's only been a couple minutes, perhaps its been weeks: though the persistence of my consciousness implies something closer to the former).

Yesterday was quite eventful. I stumbled upon the border of a Kingdom not far from where I first appeared in this world. I met some knights patrolling the area, and after diffusing their initial suspicion, they informed me I had entered the Baharuth Empire. I was taken to have an audience with an 'Emperor Jircniv'. Intriguingly enough, these 'NPC's' (if I can even call them that any more) are impossibly realistic, far beyond what Yggdrasil's parameters allowed for. They're so real!

Long story short, I did not reveal that I came from another world. I have to be cautious about what I do or say in this world. Who knows what danger could befall me if word got out that I'm from another dimension? But on that same day that I met the Emperor, I managed to (single-handedly :p) slay a wyvern that descended upon the capital city. Based on how much the city's guards were struggling against what I determined for myself to be a paltry beast, it's safe to say this is a low-level kingdom. Ah, and I can't neglect to mention the fact that I was also offered the position of Imperial Captain by the emperor himself right then and there, who seemed very impressed by the simple 6-tier spell [Gravity Rush] that I used during the battle. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I accepted—I suppose it would be best to play it safe and make some allies, and simply go with the flow until I can learn more about my situation and where I am. I don't, off the top of my head, remember a 'Baharuth Empire' anywhere amongst the nine realms of Yggdrasil…

That evening I spent some time—with the guidance of one 'Fluder Paradyne'—in the public library, poring over maps and historical documents. As it turns out...

I'm not in Yggdrasil at all! ;_;

SO there goes my initial hypothesis… I'm in a completely different world. So I'm back to square one on that front. For now, I guess I can only blame some supernatural force for my circumstance (though I loathe the use of the word 'supernatural'—any of my science professors would smack me upside the head if they read this right now!)

Today's been exhausting… so I'll sign off here for now.

Feeling: worn-out...

* * *

My lips curl into a melancholic smile.

It's so weird to read this now, knowing that she's… gone. I wonder who left it on my doorstep, and how they managed to acquire such an item? Perhaps it was one of the maids, who stumbled upon it while cleaning up her room..?

I'll also have to chew Fluder out for not telling me about her sooner… I know he's getting old and inarguably a bit senile, but come on...

Putting that aside, I really should get going. I'd never forgive myself if Neia got decapitated or something because I became too engrossed in my own sentiments. I can read this any time, really.

Having felt like I made up my mind, I extend the book out to my side, into the void of my inventory.

...

And yet…

I can't bring my fingers to let go. Pursing my imaginary lips, I slowly retract the journal from the void.

Ahhh I really am irresponsible—but I can't resist! Forgive me, Neia!

Greedily, I thumb the book's fore-edge—and my digit glides across a peculiar gap, caused by the turning-down of a page's corner: the only dog-eared page, denoting its exclusive importance.

With a fleeting sense of guilt for skipping a handful of pages—though I can always return to them at a later date when time is not of the essence—I flip to the marked page.

Scanning the first sentence, my eyes widen in surprise.

This must have been written four days ago.

The night… before she killed herself.

* * *

The best thing has just happened to me today! I've happened upon—drum roll, please!

Another PLAYER from Yggdrasil! Finally, after nearly two weeks, I'm no longer alone anymore!

His name is Suzuki (his character name is Ainz), and when I first met him, I broke down like a blubbering baby! I was so relieved to know I wasn't alone that I couldn't help myself. Neither could he though, thank God, or that would've been extremely awkward. Misery loves company, as they say!

It turns out he was transported to this world in the same fashion as me. This at least eliminates the possibility that I alone was sent here due to a personal-device error—the problem must have come from the head servers themselves. But unlike me, he came here with his entire guild base and all of its NPC's—how cool is that? Yeah, he's the 'Supreme Ruler' of the Great Underground Tomb of Nazarick… I'm actually quite jealous, and now regretting the fact that I never bothered joining a guild of my own. Perhaps then I wouldn't have been transported here all by my lonesome…

Interestingly enough, though, Suzuki's been in this world for MONTHS! I can't even imagine how hard it's been for him. I was just about at my wit's end before I met him, and I've only been here for like twelve days!

We spent the whoooooole day chatting in his guild base's bathhouse (which was absolutely gigantic, by the way). He's a great guy—definitely not the worst guy to be stuck with when you're trapped in a foreign dimension. He's funny (in a sarcastic way that managed to make my blood boil several times -_-). Just from today alone, and from how much his NPC's adore him, I can tell he's a really swell guy… and not that bad looking either! I reckon if he was a bit younger I'd have fallen for him on the spot, but, well... all-in-all, he's pretty awesome… even though he didn't believe some things when I told him about my own life. I'll have to prove I'm not just all talk somehow…

Feeling: ecstatic!

* * *

'He's pretty awesome'

…

* * *

Okay, I've been trying to abstain from using more than just one page a day for the sake of not getting carried away, but I just can't contain myself! It's been a couple of hours since my last entry, but some unexpected things happened and now I'm all fired up!

Suzuki dropped by just as I was getting ready to fall asleep, and after asking me a few weird questions—like what I intended to do moving forward and whatnot. SO I revealed to him my ambition to find a way back home. Weirdly enough, he didn't seem too keen on the idea… maybe he's just apprehensive or in denial? I wouldn't blame him I suppose, I probably wouldn't want to get my hopes up prematurely if I had already been stuck here for several months…

But that just makes me even more determined! I'll make him regret ever doubting my abilities to begin with, no matter what it takes! Days, weeks, months, even years—I don't care how long it takes, I KNOW I can do it.

I'll begin research tomorrow. Naturally, given the immense discrepancies in the fundamental laws of nature and physics of this world compared to Earth's, I certainly don't expect to get any significant headway. But day-by-day, little by little… I'll get there.

No matter what, I won't give up.

I'll see my family again… I miss them so much. (Even Liz…) I'd do anything to feel their arms wrap around me again.

Oh, and when we get to Earth, I'll be sure to lord it over Suzuki for as long as he lives! (And maybe make him treat me to dinner or something..? No, that would hardly be enough of a reward… I'll have to think of something much more extravagant hehe…)

Ahhh I'm so excited! I'm not sure if I'll be able to sleep now… guess I'll just have to do my best XD

Feeling: optimistically determined!

* * *

...

I… I don't understand!

How… how could she have..! Hardly twelve hours after writing this, how could she have taken her own life and left!?

'_No matter what, I won't give up'_

What kind of sick, demented joke was that?!

Was this really the extent of your resolve, Jade?! Was your determination to be reunited with your family really so pathetic and shallow that you would give up so quickly?!

**BULLSHIT!**

_Ta-ting!_

[Emotion Suppressor has been activated]

What happened to proving me wrong and lording your accomplishments over me for the rest of my life?!

WHAT HAPPENED?!

_Ta-ting!_

[Emotion Suppressor has been activated]

Quickly, torturously, images of Jade flash through my mind.

Those smiles, those tears, those laughs—all reflected within the pages of this journal! It proves that they were her true feelings!

THEY could not be fake.

So what the FUCK was that suicide note?!

It just… I don't… I can't..!

It doesn't make SENSE!

With a frustrated flick of my wrist, I hurl the book away, send it crashing into the corridor's wall.

The force of the impact forces the book open, punctuating the air with the sound of fluttering paper.

And in midair, from betwixt some indiscernible pages, there slipped a small white square, which then sailed through the air, straight towards me, as if propelled by some invisible force.

Mesmerized by its ethereal glide, I reach out, as if in a trance, to pluck it from its languid course as it comes within reach using my thumb and forefinger.

A note?

I flip it over in my hand.

!

* * *

_**Not a suicide. It was the guardians of Nazarick.**_

* * *

_**Ta-ting..!**_

_**[Emotion Suppressor has been activated]**_

Nine words written in wild and flamboyant script. That's all there is.

_**Bone-chilling. **_

I read it over again.

And again. And again. And again. I flip it over in my trembling grasp, back and forth, searching for that impossible third side.

_**Blood-curdling.**_

Is… is this somebody's idea of a joke..? It must be… why should I believe in the veracity of some anonymous note? Surely the guardians would never—

**No, wait.**

That's right... it's only natural that the guardians would be skeptical of Jade's true intentions and suspect some sort of ulterior motives, given how powerful she was. They would've surely tried to investigate her.

I run an agitated hand through my hair.

And when they did—by sending Pandora's Actor, disguised as me, for a 'late-night visit'...

They learned about her ambitions to return to Earth, along with me!

_**Click!**_

My eyes widen in realization.

All the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Yes… it all makes sense now..!

_**World-shattering**_**.**

If… if they had learned that some foreign newcomer of unknown origin was planning to steal their supreme ruler, their only motivation for life, away from them—then how would they react?

Maybe… maybe they would've actually...!

I steady myself against the corridor's wall.

N-no… it can't be!

Jade's 'suicide'... it was just an elaborate cover-up! How could I have been so blind?! Of course Jade wouldn't have taken her own life. Deep down… I've known that from the very beginning! But this journal and this note proves it! Her death… the ones who killed her..! It was..!

**The guardians of Nazarick.**

_**Ta-ting!**_

**[Emotion Suppressor has been activated]**

...

The overlord couldn't believe it. How could they—his precious comrades' children, HIS own children—**betray** him like that?! How… how could they?!

_**Ta-ting!**_

And all this time..! Going about their days like they did nothing wrong!

All of them—treacherous, malfeasant **liars!**

_**Ta-ting!**_

Unforgivable!

_**Ta-ting!**_

They murdered her for no reason at all! He never even wanted to go back to that shit-hole of a planet called Earth!

_**Ta-ting!**_

How dare they take matters into their own hands like that?! He was the only one who stayed behind with them this entire time, since long before they even came to this new world. He gave meaning to their otherwise miserable existences.

And **this** was how they repaid him?!

_**Ta-ting **_

Did they take him, the Supreme Ruler of the Underground Tomb of Nazarick, for a **FOOL**?!

_**FoooooooOOOOOOOOOM!**_

An explosion of darkness, so dense and unfiltered that it made his previous outbursts seem like a mere toddler's fickle pouting.

The floor beneath him quaked, the lights above flickered.

The red of his smouldering eyes flared out like vicious flames, like crimson snakes lashing out within the sable storm of poisoned air that was manifesting around him.

_**Ta-ting**_

_**Ta-ting**_

_**Ta-ting!**_

More, more, and more—there was no end to his scornful fury which billowed out and diffused, spread, like a cold blanket, smothering all of Nazarick.

_**Ta-ting**_

_**Ta-ting**_

_**Ta-ting!**_

He clutched at his skull. This insufferable cacophony of incessant ringing, denoting the forcible suppression of his wrath. Curbing, up and down, up and down, up and down..!

It felt like his head was splitting apart.

_**Ta-ting**_

_**Ta-ting**_

_**Ta-ting**_

They were but mere drops of water, a trickle of futile splashes attempting to extinguish the voracious flames burning within him. He couldn't bear the noise any longer: and in fact, he wanted** them** to feel it all. He would lay his emotions bare, for all of Nazarick to experience.

He wanted them—those damnable guardians, no matter where they were right now—to feel the depths of his fury.

To realize just how grave of a mistake they had made.

To realize how profoundly, unequivocally, and absolutely fucked they were.

"**[Greater… Elicit… Emotion**]".

Yes, he would hold nothing back..!

...

And yet, perplexingly enough, as he found himself re-bound by flesh, he discovered his pain diminish.

The flow of tears was abruptly stemmed. The storm around him shrunk, retreated back within him.

The sorrow was gone.

Deep breath.

Exhale.

Repeat.

All that remained was the hate, condensed and clean-cut.

It could be said that humans were the most emotional of the intelligent races. It could also be said that this emotionality is a key contributor to their labelling as one of the weaker, more fragile races, easily consumed by raw emotions like love, hate, and fear. A bit of perspective:

An elf's hate is shallow yet enduring—as long-living and pretentious creatures, they will hold a grudge over the pettiest things for several decades: but never act on it, never allow it to dictate their behaviour.

On the other hand, a dwarf's hate is fiery and passionate—but within a few hours, perhaps after a fight, they would be happily obliged to have a drink with you. It's all water under the bridge.

Now mix the worst aspects of these two types of hate, and then add a tremendous dash of volatility: and you have a human's hate. Fiery, long-lasting, destructive. A human would go to the ends of the world in order to enact **retribution** upon whom he or she was wronged by.

Indeed, a human consumed by hate was something to be wary of.

But a human that was in control of such vile hatred, well…

That was something to **fear.**

No more tears. No more wailing. No more cries of anguish or uncontrolled rage—all of that had already been conveyed, and Ainz was sick of being in such a state.

Now was the time for a different, more malicious approach: one that only his human side could convincingly employ.

To wield his emotions, his hate, like a blade of cold, tempered steel.

Untainted by anguish or despair, it could be unsheathed or stowed away at a moment's notice.

It was time.

**To deal with the guardians.**

...

The throne-room doors creaked open with a solemn swing.

…

"**You may enter**," Ainz commanded, perched upon his throne.

His voice was enough to freeze the blood even as it coursed through the guardians' veins—eerily calm, not at all what they were expecting.

...

"Did you not hear me?** I said to enter**," Ainz repeated—his voice did not raise, he did not move.

The guardians all stepped inside, heads down, not daring to meet their Overlord's piercing gaze.

With each stride they took, the invisible pressure filling the air became more and more palpable. By the time they reached the foot of the throne's steps, it was oppressively crushing.

They all dropped to their knees.

Silence.

The overlord simply stared at the top of the guardians' bowed heads for over a minute—a veritable eternity.

He would let them **squirm** for a while.

And squirm they did.

As time went on, the guardians' bodies trembled more and more.

Several of them wished he would just begin yelling at them—they were prepared for anything, even death. But this, being forced to endure the supreme one's frigid glare, was unbearable.

"**Well**? I await your pledge of loyalty," Ainz finally revealed in a bored tone, shattering the stifling silence in such a casual way that all eight guardians shuddered in fright.

They wasted no time.

"W-we pledge ourselves wholeheartedly to the Supreme One, and humbly present ourselves before him in answer to his call!" a tremulous chorus trickled out in sloppy unison—music to the overlord's ears.

Now, it was time to unsheathe his blade.

"Hmm…" Ainz hummed thoughtfully, rising from his throne.

He struck the tip of his staff authoritatively into the ground before taking his first step down the stairs.

Slowly, translucent wisps of undulating shadows began to curl off of his shoulders—not much, just enough to inspire the guardians' to lower their heads a bit farther.

"There was a time, not too long ago, **when your pledge actually meant something to me**," he continued in a stoic tone.

The guardians all wobbled unsteadily in place. The first blow had been a critical hit.

Ainz took another step.

"**Pandora's Actor,"** he called out nonchalantly.

The doppelganger could only nod his head, unable to find his voice. It was a bit rude, Ainz thought, for him not to respond verbally after being directly addressed.

But he was a** benevolent ruler**, so he could forgive it just this once…

"It's not very often that you find yourself called to the throne room. It must be nice to get out of the treasury room every now and then, hm?"

Again, the wall-outlet faced guardian could only nod his head.

"Ah, and you, **Demiurge**," Ainz continued, switching targets.

The demon stiffened at the sound of his name, his throat lurching nervously.

"**You seem to be sweating a lot**. You must be parched. It's important to replenish your fluids and stay hydrated, even if you are a demon. Could I interest you in a glass of water?" the supreme one asked, reaching inside his pocket dimension to withdraw a pitcher.

'N-no, A-Ainz-sama…"

"I see… ah, and how goes that personal research project of yours? I trust the funding I provided you a few days ago has been put to good use?"

"..."

"**Is something the matter, Demiurge**?"

The demon adjusted his glasses in a fluster:

"N-no, forgive me, Ainz-sama… yes, it is going q-quite well, t-thank you…" he choked out.

"Good…"Ainz mused with beguiling sincerity, keeping his eyes trained on the demon for a while longer. Just as it seemed—from the reddening of his face and the bulging of his veins—that the guardian might faint, Ainz finally tore his eyes away.

"And you,** Mare**," the overlord continued mercilessly, walking over to the druid, who had all but folded into a quivering little ball:

"I saw you in the library the other day, you know. Why didn't you come say hello? I must say I was rather hurt…" the overlord confessed sardonically: "and how's that new book you're reading?"

Although he thought it impossible, the dark elf managed to shrink even more, tucking his head into the crux of his knees.

Mare could not even bring himself to nod his head, much less formulate a verbal response.

Aura trembled sympathetically beside him.

For a split second, Ainz felt bad for tormenting the poor children in such a way. After all, he was certain that they were not the first ones to propose the killing of Jade.

But, he was sure that they were still guilty, and therefore deserved no mercy. It would've undoubtedly taken the combined efforts of all the guardians to kill—**murder**—Jade so inconspicuously.

The overlord silently clenched his fists.

"Hmm, I see. So the book is that terrible..." he joked bitterly before moving on.

Finally, he reached the center of the line, coming to a stop in front of Albedo.

Playtime was over.

"Now that most of the formalities have been taken care of… **I'm sure all of you know why I called you here?" **Ainz boomed, projecting just a mote of venom into his voice.

All the guardians slowly nodded their heads.

"I see… so, I'm curious**: who dealt the final blow?" **he tossed out coldly.

Silence.

The overlord slammed his staff impatiently into the ground—an irrevocable command.

"M-me..!" someone squeaked immediately.

Ainz turned his head to the sound—

"Ah, Shalltear… I should've known," he admitted, but then looked down to the succubus at his feet:

"**But honestly… I was almost sure it would've been you, Albedo"**.

The overseer's wings spasmed anxiously, causing her whole body to teeter unsteadily.

_Step, step, step._

The Supreme One took slow, purposeful strides towards the vampire.

"So tell me," he began once he reached her: "how did you do it? With your pipette lance, I presume? Did you perhaps strike her…** here**?" he guessed in a soft tone, sticking his foot out to prod at the vampire's padded chest.

Shalltear clenched her eyes shut.

Normally, such contact would have sent her reeling with the bliss of an intense orgasm.

But not this time. The touch was so love-less that not even she could derive pleasure from it.

"Or perhaps— " Ainz paused for a moment, lifting his foot even higher, resting it on top of the pale guardian's bonnet.

"—**you just stuck it straight through her skull?**" he finished—and with a slow, humiliating movement, drove Shalltear's head to the ground underfoot.

She dared not to resist—she was too afraid, too full of shame.

"**Answer the question,"** Ainz pressed relentlessly, exerting a bit more pressure through his foot.

Shalltear's face contorted painfully as the side of her face was smooshed against the marble floor.

Of course, something like this, Ainz knew, was not strong enough to actually hurt her.

"Y-yes…" she finally stammered out, clenching her eyes shut with a shudder.

"'**Yes' to which? The head, or the chest?"**

"... B-b-both…"

_**Kra-koom!**_

The black aura that had been emanating languidly from the Overlord's body flared, spiked exponentially, chilled the guardians right down to their bones, before he managed to reign it back in.

though it had only been unleashed for a split second, it had been plentifully potent enough for Shalltear to regret her forthrightness, and enough to stifle her vocal cords into inoperability.

The overlord took a deep breath.

"**I see…** well, I suppose I must commend you for being honest with me, **for once**".

Finally, he lifted his foot off of Peroroncino's creation and took a step back—though she dared not, or rather could not, lift her head even in its absence.

"And you, **Sebas**, what was your role in all of this?" Ainz threw out, shooting a sideways glance at the 'Iron Butler', the only guardian left who didn't appear to be on the verge of pissing themselves.

Hand over heart, Touch Me's creation opened his mouth with his usual dignified eloquence:

"I was tasked with—"

But Ainz raised a hand to silence him.

"Do not say you were 'tasked' with anything. The only one who can task you to do anything is **me**, and I **certainly** did not order you to go through with such a **shitty, pathetic scheme.** You participated willingly, and have no right to eschew guilt by saying you were 'tasked' to do what you did. Your conscience, along with everyone else's, has long since been **forfeit,**" the supreme one hissed before letting loose the final blow:

"**Lord Touch-Me would be ashamed of his creation if he were here right now"**.

And with that, for the first time maybe ever, the butler's stoic demeanour crumbled away—exquisitely, as far as Ainz was concerned. He trembled in place, rocking unsteadily, clenching his fists in self-frustration, seeming to Ainz as a senile old man who had lost control of his own body.

For Sebas, who was undoubtedly the most righteous guardian, to be accused of deflecting the blame must surely pack quite a sting.

"O-of course, Ainz-sama… forgive my poor choice of words..!" he apologized vehemently in a low, shameful tone.

"**You are forgiven.** Now tell me, what—" he began to repeat, but then stopped abruptly, letting out a contemplative hum.

The guardians all stiffened in uncomfortable anticipation.

"—on second thought, why don't I just **take a look for myself?**" he proclaimed, shuffling over to Cocytus.

"**Pardon me,**" he said in an icy tone, extending a hand out to grip the top of the insect's head.

Before the warrior could even figure out what was happening, it was too late.

His mandibles clicked anxiously in surprise.

"**[Search Memory]**" the overlord chanted callously, clenching his eyes shut in concentration.

He was inside the fifth-floor guardian's head now, combing through his memory.

Normally, he would be subtle and considerate of whom he was using the spell on, but not this time. He searched haphazardly, quickly, violently, practically tearing through the warrior's memories, paying no heed to the discomfort he was inflicting as he trampled upon the machinations of Cocytus' brain.

Back one day… then two, three, four, until—

"Ah… **this must be it," **he declared, forcing a triumphant tone.

And for the next five minutes—an agonizingly long time for the eight guardians—he watched it all unfold, from the moment Lenora first appeared on the fifth floor with 'Ainz'.

All the guardians could do now was wait.

Wait, as the overlord's insidious aura grew and grew, larger and larger.

Wait, for their inevitable punishment in suffocating silence.

How could they have been so wrong? How had they been so foolish to think they could deceive the all-knowing overlord and tuck their sins neatly under the rug, never to see the light of day again?

How could they have so severely underestimated the ramifications of him finding out?

Neither Albedo nor Demiurge could have predicted such a thing: known the depth of Ainz and Jade's relationship. So why hadn't they acted more prudently and waited until they had more information before doing something so reckless?

They had acted too hastily. Hindsight was a cruel mistress, and Desperation had deafened them all to the voice of Reason. If only they—!

Finally, Ainz retracted his hand from Cocytus' head, an innocuous action that nevertheless managed to obliterate the introspective silence.

Quietly, he turned his back to them all, biting his lower lip which threatened to quiver. He could no longer bear to look at them.

'Heartbroken' could not even begin to describe the devastation he felt from seeing his guardians' betrayal firsthand.

It sickened him.

He just wanted them to **disappear, **out of sight and out of mind.

Slowly, he opened his mouth, drawing in a shaky, rattling breath to quell his nerves—a foretelling inhale that informed the guardians that their punishment was coming, like a strong gust of wind heralding the impending formation of a tornado.

What would it be? Would they be killed… or worse, exiled..?

The former they could accept—after all, a guardian who could not satisfy the demands of their supreme ruler was undeserving of life to begin with.

Yes, execution would be an act of mercy at this point, they all realized.

And so they prayed, silently, bowing their heads imploringly towards the back of their overlord.

They prayed for death.

And in answer to their pleas—

"**[The Goal of All Life is Death]".**

Their sovereign replied.

As the translucent clock materialized upon his back, bathing the dimly-lit throne room in a faint, aureate glow, the guardians smiled.

So it was decided, then. Death.

**Gong!**

The clock's harrowing first tick thundered out, and in its waning echo the guardians all found morbid solace.

Their trembling stopped.

Yes, if it was this… they could accept this. This was right.

**Gong!**

'Just punishment befalls those who act unjustly'.

Truly, the supreme one's clemency knew no bounds.

**Gong!**

Of course, they wished it had not come to this—they did not want to leave. It had always been their collective dream to live out their entire lives serving Ainz-sama with unwavering devotion.

**Gong!**

But that was no longer a possibility.

**Gong!**

They had failed him. They no longer had the right to live.

**Gong!**

They all raised their heads, levying fond gazes towards Ainz-sama's back.

'Please, Ainz-sama! Turn around!' they implored.

**Gong!**

They at least wanted to see his face one last time, to gaze upon his excellency just one more time..!

They wanted to internalize the epitome of perfection that was their master in their final moments, to carry his glory with them into the afterlife.

**Gong!**

It was a selfish request—they did not deserve for it to be fulfilled.

**Gong!**

Their bitter-sweet smiles broadened with anticipation for the final ring.

**Gong!**

And there it was! The hand struck twelve—irrevocable, permeating the entire room.

Finally, the overlord turned around.

!

The guardians' eyes all widened, brimming with tears of joy. Now, they could pass on peacefully.

Yes… all was well.

Satisfied, they all pressed their foreheads against the ground, keeping their eyes clenched shut so that they could gaze upon Ainz-sama's form on the back of their eyelids right through to the last possible second.

Words could not express how thankful they were towards the supreme one at this moment.

They thanked him inwardly for his abounding mercy.

They thanked him for staying behind when all the other supreme ones had abandoned them.

They thanked him… for blessing their insignificant lives with a purpose most profound.

And so, desperate to seize their final opportunity, they all opened their mouths, compelled their voices into action despite the pressure Ainz was exuding, to vehemently express their love for Ainz-Ooal Gown, one final time:

"**All hail Ainz-sama! Long live Nazarick!**"

Their crackling cheer sounded muted in the Overlord's ears, sending a pain that was both sharp and dull to wrack his entire body.

He stared down at the row of prostrating bodies.

The bowed heads of Nazarick's guardians—his devoted guardians.

The scene layed out before him conflicted harshly with images of Jade and the callousness with which he knew they had extinguished her life.

Bitter tears attenuated his stern gaze, softened his blade of tempered steel until it was no more.

The hardened fury had melted, cooled, and transformed into a lachrymose heartache.

Reality finally sunk in: he was saying goodbye to the guardians. This… could be the last time he ever saw them.

The overlord brought a hand over his mouth to stifle the hitching of his breath: his whole body was now trembling, shaking uncontrollably. He staggered back, running both hands distraughtly through his hair.

He was grateful that the guardians' heads were lowered. If he were to meet one of their gazes, he might just break.

A single phrase.

That's all it would take to send them all to oblivion in an instant.

It's what they deserved. It's what would avenge Jade. How could he ever trust them again after this?

As long as the guardians were around… would he ever be able to befriend another player? There's no guarantee that they would never do the same thing again.

Clenching his fists, Ainz gritted his teeth in frustration.

[Cry of the Banshee]—the words tantalizingly tickled the tip of his tongue, threatening to roll off at any second.

It would be so easy..!

But as he looked out as his guardians, behind whom there was, hanging high above, the banners of his comrades, he could not help but dither.

What would they think if they were here, witnessing what was about to transpire? Would they align themselves with him… or would they try to stop him?

He could not be sure.

With a furious wipe of his sleeve, the Overlord cleared his blurry vision and looked back down.

!

His eyes widened in shock.

The guardians had disappeared: and in their places, kneeling before him, were his comrades.

Touch-Me.

Ulbert.

Takemikazuchi.

Peroroncino.

Bukubukuchagama.

Tabula.

It took all of his restraint to stay his hand from reaching out wistfully. He averted his gaze, clenched his eyes shut, waiting for the torturous hallucination to dissolve. And when his eyes fluttered open trepidatiously, they were gone. The shattering of the illusion, as brief and unbelievable as it was, still managed to bore a hole in his heart.

He clutched at his chest. It seemed he just...

—The ethereal clock on his back sublimated—

... couldn't go through with this.

As the light of the spell disappeared, the guardians all tentatively raised their heads, their expressions reflecting a tumultuous myriad of emotions.

Confusion, sadness, joy, surprise, and many finer nuances that the supreme one could not decipher through his compromised vision.

"A-Ainz-sama..?" Albedo ventured, tears of disbelief streaming down her ivory face.

"Don't misunderstand," the overlord began in a pained tone that belied his inscrutable expression:

"I haven't forgiven you. Your actions **disgust** me… but I… I can't…" he trailed off quietly, collapsing back into his throne depletedly, fiddling anxiously with the staff in his grasp.

"Just because I lack the resolve to kill you myself… as far as I'm concerned, **you're all dead to me,**" he seethed quietly, bringing a hand up to cover his leaking eyes.

The guardians all flinched in response, their hearts stopped beating.

The dark-elf children began to sob uncontrollably.

"A-Ainz-sama!" Demiurge began in a panicked tone, clutching at his aching chest:

"P-please, don't say such things..!" he begged, breaking down before he could finish his sentence.

'To hear you say that… is far worse than death'.

Albedo could no longer bear this. This had all been her idea to begin with. She could tell her lord was not satisfied—but his detrimentally kind soul was preventing him from enacting the justice his heart desired.

Biting her lower lip, she stood up on shaky legs.

She would not let Nazarick be torn asunder because of her mistake.

She steeled her nerves, opened her mouth, and—

"**Leave**".

A command, barely audible, sharp like a knife, utterly tore through her fragile resolve.

"**Just… fucking… leave..!" **the overlord repeated, finally tearing his hands away from his face, revealing an expression that curdled the guardians' blood, made them recoil in fright.

It was a hideous expression, contorted by anguish, fury, and hatred. It was feral, savage, and wicked.

His features had lost all trace of the noble and intelligent allure they had come to revere.

It was enough to send the other seven guardians scrambling to their feet.

Yet to the Overlord's chagrin, they did not heed his order.

The more he looked at them, the more his blood began to sizzle, threatening to boil over.

They really did make him **sick.** He hated that he couldn't bring himself to harm them.

But this anger… **needed to go somewhere.**

If he did not act on it now, it would plague him, eat him alive, for the rest of his life—he understood this tacitly, instinctively: that's how potent his emotions were.

No, he could not sheathe his blade yet.

**It needed to be bloodied.**

And he knew exactly where he could achieve his catharsis: drown out his pain in a veritable **ocean of blood, **and then hopefully move on.

With a shadow looming over his face, the overlord rose from his seat.

"[**Gate],**" he whispered stoically.

And at the appearance of a swirling vortex, the guardians' hearts all skipped a beat in panic.

"A-Ainz-sama..!" they all cried in unison, taking a step forward—but the look he shot over his shoulder stopped them dead in their tracks, made their stomachs somersault defeatedly.

"W-where are you going, Ainz-sama..?" Shalltear ventured tearfully.

"That's none of your concern**,**" he spat out callously, taking a step towards the portal.

"A-Ainz-sama wa—!"

"**You know it's funny,**" the overlord bellowed, cutting Demiurge off: "you killed her out of fear of my leaving, and yet, in all my time as the supreme ruler of Nazarick…"

He trailed off for a moment, stopping just one stride short of the vortex:

"**I've never wanted to leave you all behind as much as I do right now".**

And with that, he stepped through the vortex—allowed himself to be whisked away to a destination unknown to the guardians.

And that terrified them.

They all stared vacantly at the space Ainz-sama had just been, in denial and disbelief.

'Devastated' could not even begin to describe how they felt.

The elf twins, Demiurge, and Shalltear all crumpled pitifully to their knees.

Sebas, Cocytus, Albedo, and Pandora's Actor were too stunned, too petrified to move.

Though they were surrounded by each other, they all felt hopelessly alone and empty in Ainz-sama's absence—their minds spinning numbly with their overlord's departing words. He had closed his heart off to them.

It had all happened so quickly… but now that he was gone, they couldn't help but wonder...

**Would he ever come back?**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Sorry I'm a day late with this one!**

**But anyway, I had a lot of fun with this chapter... if this doesn't justify this story's 'humour' tag, then I don't know what will :))))))**

**Chapter 22**

"City of the Dead"

It was a chilly day, just two weeks before the Winter solstice—cloudy, windy, and perhaps soon, rainy.

In other words, a perfect day for a public execution: and that's exactly what hundreds of people, currently gathered in the town square of the Roble Kingdom's capital city, had come together to watch.

They were desperate for even just a sliver of entertainment to distract them from their troubles, if only for a few short minutes.

"Neia, Baraja, do you have any last words?" the minister tasked with running the execution finally asked after proclaiming the charges levied against her—high-treason, blasphemy, and all sorts of other colorful condemnations to rile up the audience.

'Death's Ranger', with a noose wrapped snugly around her throat, raised her head with a triumphant smile:

"All hail the Sorcerer King!" she bellowed resolutely for all to hear.

The crowd erupted in admonishing cries and vehement boos. A barrage of small stones and rotten vegetables were launched towards the gallows, battering poor Baraja's already-bruised body even more.

The minister turned to face the crowd with a panicked expression, begging for their cooperation.

…

When they finally calmed down, he turned back around to face the prisoner.

"And with that, then, your fate is sealed!" he decreed proudly, offering a theatrical bow towards the hangman, his fellow host, whose hand was resting heavily upon the lever that would drop Neia to her death.

A crooked grin etched its way across the hangman's greasy face, and he looked back and forth between the lever and the crowd with exaggerated swings of his head—this was his moment, and he would lap up as much attention as he could get.

The crowd broke out in cheers and boisterous guffaws.

"Pull it! Pull it! Pull it!" they chanted morbidly.

Children, perched high upon their fathers' shoulders, (and what considerate fathers they were, allowing their children a first-class view of such a family-friendly affair!) giggled innocently, pumping their fists excitedly through the air.

Perhaps some of them had not yet even come to grasp the concept of 'death', and so they cheered, compelled only by the crowd's infectious energy.

But it did not matter whether they knew what they were about to witness or not: they were human, and thus would inevitably become hopelessly desensitized to the concept of others dying soon enough; come to derive a perverse sense of gratification from it soon enough, and so it did not matter if they understood it yet—they WOULD understand soon enough, but even after learning the truth, they would continue to enjoy death to a repulsive degree until the end of their lives, so it did not matter what they knew now.

Humans were—to say nothing of their redeemable qualities—inherently sadistic by nature.

Women, most of which were docile housewives on a typical day, made ferocious glares, cackled gleefully, and demanded death as loudly, or perhaps even louder, than their husbands—making their fair contribution towards the aforementioned desensitization of their children.

Caspond could not help but avert his gaze and cover his eyes in shame.

Truly, humans are barbaric creatures. There was no justice to be found here.

_**Ker-chunk!**_

The Holy King's heart skipped a beat as a hollow sound, the buzz of wooden machinations, echoed out.

The floor slid out from under Neia's feet and she dropped two feet before the rope went taught and she began to choke, writhe about like a fish caught on a line, make asphyxiation-induced faces, all for the sake of entertaining the ravenous crowd.

And it would have been easy to have her drop far enough for her neck to snap instantly—**but there was no fun in that.** A death so swift could not hope to satiate the craven peasants, who lived vicariously through the executioner who was more than willing to sully his own hands if it meant he could be in the spotlight during invigorating moments like this.

In front of a population of death-starved people, a hangman like him had more power than the King himself.

And so they watched with unblinking infatuation, to ensure they could soak in every thrilling moment of this event: the reddening of Neia's face, the bulging of her veins, the musical chorus of gags and fruitless attempts to draw in breath—oh! And the way her eyes just rolled back into her head!

How absolutely exquisite!

Caspond white-knuckled the arms of his chair— he could not help but wonder: if this was the price of his kingdom's stability, then perhaps it would've been better to be unstable after all.

But, thankfully, it seemed the show was reaching its foregone conclusion—not soon enough, for weary Caspond. The climax had already been reached, and Neia's movements began to slow, dull, and lose their vigour. The light of her life was fading from the whites of her eyes: she could no longer even try to breathe.

Slower, slower, and slower.

Slower… slower… and slower.

**Stop.**

The crowd let out a contented sigh. They stared at her stiffened face, studying it intently, determined to burn as much detail into their minds as possible, so they could at least carry it with them, even just subconsciously, for a while longer to extend their high for as long as possible.

The executioner frowned—the spotlight was leaving him. Soon, everything would go back to normal. The wives would now go and do laundry, the men would go drink at bars, and the children would run about and play until it was time for bedtime, at which point they would sleep, awaken the next day, and forget all about this entire ordeal.

**Until the next time.**

_Wuuuuuuong!_

But just as the crowd was beginning to disperse, an ominous ring echoed out quietly overhead, catching the attention of the more intuitive peasants, the young and perceptive, who craned their necks back to stare up at the source of the sound.

A perplexing anomaly, a tear in the fabric of reality, a swirling vortex, hung high in the air.

Word spread quickly, and soon every member of the now-scattered crowd had their heads tilted back in confusion.

Caspond, from whose position the vortex was not visible, stepped off from his platform, out from the shelter of the outdoor canopy he had been sitting under.

"Caspond-sama!" Gustav cried out in alarm, racing to his side.

The King's blood ran cold.

"My God…" Gustav whispered, staring up at the sky with widening eyes.

"[Gate]! There's a [Gate]!"

The paladins on-site bellowed, relaying the message across the city. Frantic scouts climbed their watchtowers, grabbed hold of the bell pulls, yanked them with all their might, filling the air with thunderous chimes that permeated across the capital.

"Everyone, run for shelter! Get as far away from here as you can!" Remedios Custodio bellowed from the middle of the crowd, directly below the foreboding portal. Looking up, she could not help but scowl, grit her teeth, and brandish her sword.

At first, the confused crowd did not respond, like a herd of dazed and confused cattle.

"**Demons**!** Demons** are coming, hurry!" she urged them angrily.

And with that—the utterance of the magic word—there was utter pandemonium.

The members of the crowd who stood united with a common interest just moments ago turned on one another, shoved each other out of the way as they bolted for the exits, caring only for the safety of themselves and their loved ones—more than willing to trample on anyone who got in their way. The pavilion's exits quickly became clogged with bustling bodies, panicked screams, and crying children.

But at least the center of the area had been cleared away, allowing two divisions of paladins to join Remedios.

At the top of each of the four guard towers that constituted the corners of the town square, archers and tier-2 holy-magic casters stood at the ready, staffs and bows angled towards the [Gate].

Remedios let out a shaky sigh, clenching the hilt of her weapon tightly.

She could not help but smile nervously at the prepared readiness of the city's soldiers, the quickness with which they all seamlessly got into position at the sign of a spontaneous threat.

In the aftermath of Jaldabaoth's attacks, Remedios vowed to never let another citizen die at the hands of a demon for as long as she lived—she was glad that her men apparently felt the same way, that the seeds of fear that the demon emperor had sowed were long-lasting and poignant.

Thanks to that, they were ready for anything now, before the threat even became a threat. Nobody would die today.

Whatever ugly-horned devils decided to crawl out of that [Gate], they were prepared for it.

Surely, they were prepared for anything.

And yet, the incessant trembling of Caspond's hands informed him otherwise.

"Caspond-sama!" Gustav shouted: "Caspond-sama!" he repeated, grabbing hold of His Majesty's shoulder.

Startled, Caspond finally managed to tear his eyes away from the vortex and offer a sluggish nod.

Just as the vice-captain began leading him away, however—

"Something's coming out! Ranged attackers! shield wall! Get ready!" Remedios bellowed as the [Gate] pulsed with the promise of activation.

_**Wuuuuuong!**_

And from it, there emerged a single being, a lone skeleton. The being began to float, slowly, down to the ground, exuding no hostility or bloodlust to speak of.

And yet it was more terrifying than an entire demon army.

Caspond crumpled to his knees, much to Gustav's alarm.

"It's all my fault…" he whispered crestfallenly.

_Clang!_

Remedios startled at the sound of discordant clattering. She looked around her to discover, cleanly conveyed through the vacant stares and stoic expressions of resigned acceptance, that the men she had been so proud of a few moments ago were completely broken. This single being made them all completely lose the will to fight in an instant. Weapons and shields dropped from limp grasps, bounced off the ground below at their feet.

Arrows tumbled lamely from their drawstrings, and the hopeful light of the clerics' scepters fizzled out defeatedly.

Some of the men even dropped to their knees in capitulation—those who were even more afraid forced their trembling legs into action, staggered back a few steps, before breaking out into a shameless sprint, joining the civilians in the mosh-pit that was their evacuation line, and began to push their way through with all the strength their desperation could muster.

They were sick of it. Sick of fighting. Sick of putting on a brave face. Sick of participating in impossible-to-win battles, against impossible-to-beat monsters, which is all they had ever done for weeks and weeks during Jaldabaoth's invasion.

And at the sight of this particular monster, the Sorcerer King, descending upon them from the heavens above, their fragile sanities snapped. All they wanted to do was live, to survive another day, something they were sure they could not do if they remained here.

At the sudden appearance of fully-armoured knights infiltrating their ranks, the peasants shot confused looks over their shoulders—more screaming, more crying, more panic.

"It's the Sorcerer King! He's here!"

"He's here to kill us all!"

"For the love of God, fucking move!"

The only one who remained in the center of the square was Remedios, who, in complete disbelief of her men's cowardice, could not even bring herself to raise her voice and call them back—all she could do was stare blankly at the backs of the frenzied mob, as everyone threw their humanity to the wind, quite literally began throwing those ahead of them underfoot without a moment's hesitation to get away. And through this violent method, the street-ends finally unclogged, and the people gushed out towards the city's outskirts.

At last, there was silence—except for the sobbing of a poor child, standing dejectedly in the center of one of the street's exits, who had been separated—or abandoned—by her mother amidst the chaos.

And of course there were several trampled bodies: the bloody, twisted remains of those poor souls who were used as stepping stones by the others, littered the pavement.

The stench of piss and shit, parting gifts from a selfish crowd, assaulted Remedios' senses, a malodorous scent her nose recognized all too well, but had wanted to forget, from the times when she liberated citizens from Jaldabaoth's encampments.

_Tap tap._

Remedios' eyes widened and she whipped around, raising her sword towards the Sorcerer King who had finally touched down.

She yelled and shrieked countless profanities, condemning his name and his actions, spouting something along the lines of 'haven't my people suffered enough?!'

It did not matter what she was saying, though: the Overlord was not listening.

His gaze was, as it had been the entire time he spent gliding down to the ground, fixed upon Neia, his beloved ranger, hanging limply on the gallows.

He was too late—he could only stare at her with a hollow sense of regret.

He had failed her. He had failed so much recently, it seemed. But there was no need to mourn her—he could revive her.

He would use a high-tier spell, of course, to ensure there was no loss of levels or cognitive abilities. It was the least he could do for her now.

He began walking towards her, ignoring the whiny paladin in front of him.

"[Magic Arrow]," he chanted, emitting a blue bolt from his index finger to slice through the rope so Neia could fall into his clutches.

Looking down at her in his arms, he could not help but notice, perhaps distastefully, how her eyes seemed even meaner in death.

With an inward apology, he reached down and slid her eyelids shut.

"Haaaaaaaaah!"

_Schwing!_

Ainz, without even looking back, extended a hand out to catch the blade that was whistling its way towards him, stopping it in its track with minimal effort.

He languidly turned around, narrowing a murderous glare towards the foolish whelp who had dared attempt to strike him from behind.

Remedios gritted her teeth in frustration, straining, pushing down with all her might—but the sword did not budge.

Then, pushing her blade out of the way to slip past her guard with a bored expression, Ainz reached out, grabbed her by the throat, and lifted her off her feet in an outstretched grip.

And then, he began to **squeeze**.

Finally, his hate and bloodlust began to leak out.

Remedios, the proud paladin of the Holy Roble Kingdom, began to thrash about wildly in the air, hands clutching desperately at her throat, clawing with all her might to pry the overlord's fingers off of her neck.

She swung her legs, delivering kick after kick to the overlord's chest and face—but he did not budge, his expression did not change.

_Phoooom!_

_Sizzzz~!_

Silver arrows and holy magic rained down on Ainz from all directions, originating from the archers and clerics of the watchtowers who had finally managed to steel their resolve, now determined to save Remedios.

[Physical damage has been negated]

[Magic damage has been negated]

But they were blocked, and ricocheted harmlessly off an invisible barrier. They were far too weak to penetrate his innate resistances.

Indeed, the force of the attacks was so paltry, that Ainz had not even noticed them yet—his attention was focused solely on the paladin in his clutches, in whose painfully-contorting expression he saw, overlapping, the faces of his guardians.

_**Squuuuuueze**_.

"_Gack~!" _captain Remedios retched painfully, feeling the overlord's ivory fingers dig into her flesh. The corners of her vision darkened insidiously, and her energetic thrashes devolved into hapless spasms, much like Neia's had. She lowered her gaze to look the Sorcerer King in the eyes—and in his depthless glare, Remedios saw a cold-hearted hate, so intense that she could not even blame it solely on his undead nature. It was so intense, in fact, that she tacitly understood that she alone could not possibly have engendered such visceral anguish within the sovereign of death.

She was merely being used as an outlet.

And of course, it would have been easy for the overlord to snap her neck in an instant from the very beginning—**but there was no fun in that. **A death so swift could not even begin to satiate his needs.

_Krsch!_

A sickening snap rung out as the Sorcerer King's fingers tore through her throat, crushing her windpipe.

A veritable river of blood gushed out of her punctured neck, flowing down the length of his outstretched arm, warm at first, but by the time the crimson snake had slithered its way to his elbow, it had cooled considerably.

The light in Remedios' eyes was swiftly dimming, and she sagged limply in his grasp. He continued to squeeze for several seconds before he finally released her, callously tossing her lifeless body to the side like the insignificant garbage that she was.

He stared down at his incarnadined hand, drenched and dripping, still oblivious to the incessant barrage raining down on him.

His hand was trembling—no, twitching, **itching for more**.

He had only wrung out a single drop of blood, hardly enough to quench the thirsty edge of his blade of cold, tempered steel. He still had so much hate left inside him.

But he could not let it out just yet: there was something he had to take care of first.

"[Gate]".

Kneeling down, he carefully offered Neia's body to the portal, lowering her gently on the grassy surface of a hill on the other side, a remote area far away from the city.

When the [Gate] closed, Ainz closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath.

Now, there was nothing to worry about.

Now, **there wasn't a single thing left in this entire city he gave a shit about.**

He could feel it: the anguish he had been suppressing since the moment he realized the guardians were responsible for Jade's death, bubbling to the surface.

The cork to his bottled lightning was popped, and the storm within could no longer be contained.

"D-did we get him..?"

"I-I'm out of arrows!"

"I'm… I'm out of mana!"

Trembling voices shouted out from the watchtowers.

The overlord rose to his feet.

"S-shit he's getting back up!"

"Why the fuck does nothing work on this thing!"

**How annoying.**

Extending a hand out towards the southern watchtower, a massive orange glyph appeared before his palm, bathing the entire town square in an ember-like glow.

"W-what the hell is that?! I-is that magic?! What tier is it?!"

"T-take cover!"

"M-monster..!"

He watched their heads duck below the towers' parapets.

**A futile effort.**

The orange glyph's light swelled to a blinding intensity, promising complete and unavoidable destruction.

"**[Explosion]**".

_**KABOOOOOOOM!**_

The entire ground shook mightily as the watchtower was blown to smithereens in a white-hot flash, spewing chunks of debris in every direction. A hideous column of black flame billowed out, and bursting from its cover, five smouldering bodies, black and raw, flew out, splattered unceremoniously against the ground as nothing but ashen stains.

**Next.**

"[**Call Greater Thunder]".**

**KRA-KOOM!**

A massive beam of electricity arced down from the heavens in the blink of an eye in answer to the overlord's summons. It struck the peak of the Eastern tower and burst through, crackled its way straight down the middle, right down to the base. The tower, split cleanly in two, promptly collapsed into a jagged pile of wood and stone: bloodied limbs, gnarled and snapped, poked out from the dusty debris.

Satisfied with his work, the supreme one spun around, wasting no time.

"**[Black Hole]**".

A pitch-plack sphere, a puncture in the fabric of reality, appeared between the North and Western towers. The buildings wobbled unsteadily, shook falteringly, and as the black hole continued to expand, they crumbled apart as if they were made of brittle sand and collapsed into the void.

_Schluuurp!  
_And then the spell closed in on itself, leaving no trace of its existence, along with both towers and all the insects that had resided within them.

Now that the pesky gnats were taken care of…

Ainz extended both hands out to his side:

"[**Create Undead: Jack the Ripper]**"

"[(**Boost Magic): Undead Army]"**

All around him, a ghastly horde of undead materialized into existence—hundreds of them, perhaps even a thousand, filled the town square in an instant, contaminating the air with their foul rot. Banshees, wraiths, skeletons, liches and zombies all moaned and groaned with eerie rattles. The four Rippers let out a maniacal cackle, fidgeted anxiously in spot, scraping their knives together in anticipation.

All of them looked imploringly to their summoner, the God of Death, and dipped their heads—in the most courteous way such mindless undead could—towards him.

Their chatterings quieted down in an instant as the supreme one waved his hand authoritatively.

"**Go!" **Ainz bellowed: "Exterminate all life within this vile city—leave no survivors!"

With a collective howl of joy, the army of the dead dispersed in all directions, and the ground quaked beneath their earnest steps. From a bird's eye view, they appeared as an expanding ring of darkness, surging out from its epicenter, the Sorcerer King.

The Rippers, nimble creatures that they were, quickly pulled far ahead of the rest, leaping acrobatically down the narrow streets in pursuit of playthings to cut down.

"[(Widen Magic) Greater Detect Life]".

Reality darkened around Ainz as his vision switched spectrums.

The Overlord spun in place, sweeping the city with his infallible gaze—he could see the paltry blue lights, the pitiful lifeforce of humans, right to the edge the city's outer rim. None could escape his vision. Right now, he felt like he was in outer space, surrounded by twinkling stars: an incalculable number of dimly-glowing, living souls. Most of them were in dense clusters and overlapping indiscernibly, moving at a pathetically-slow pace away from where he stood, towards the city's gates.

And yet despite their overwhelming numbers, he knew immediately, intuitively, exactly how many people there were in this city.

**135,436.**

imbuing himself with another [Fly], Ainz took to the skies.

He could feel it—the dead were closing in on them at a terrifying rate. Those foolish enough to think they could simply hide in their homes and wait this out, undetected by the undeads' uncanny ability to hone in on the living, would be the first to perish.

Any second now—

"Aiiiiiiiiiiiiie!"

—There it was. A blood-curdling screech, the first one to be consumed by the voracious plague of darkness, rung out over the rooftops to tickle the overlord's impatient ears.

**Let the massacre begin.**

The dead had officially caught up. Now, they would overtake, swarm, and devour.

Ainz rotated in place incessantly, taking in the utterly dumbfounding rate at which the blue lights began to flicker out, dozens and dozens with each passing second, like waning candles being blown out by a harsh winter wind.

**132,220.**

By now, all the stragglers had been picked off, and all that remained was the condensed groups of those who were trying to evacuate from the city.

But they were painfully far from the city's limits—it would take a miracle for any of them to make it at this point.

**And that miracle would not come.**

**125,474.**

There was nothing to stop them, his unrelenting force of evil. The watchtowers had been obliterated, the paladins and clerics were all scattered, just as scared-shitless as the peasants themselves—and Remedios, this Kingdom's strongest warrior, was dead. All the people could do now was wait for their inevitable slaughter.

All their panicked running could accomplish now was the prolongation of their insignificant lives for mere moments longer.

**112,308.**

Yes, they had reached the most populated areas now.

The entire city was now, if it wasn't considered as such already, a veritable hellscape, Ainz noted contentedly as he gazed down at the streets far below him—at the humans, like rats in a maze, that ran and ran and ran, crying, screaming, wailing, shooting desperate looks over their shoulders as the dead closed in on their heels.

But even louder than the victims was the cacophony of the undead themselves, filling the air with gleeful cackles and sinister laughter; creaking bones and gnashing teeth; harrowing moans and poisoned whispers.

Blasts of fire and electricity crackled the air, the liches spells.

In the corner of his vision, Ainz saw a group of eight paladins scurrying down the road, trying to plow through a group of undead—about two-dozen skeletons and zombies—to clear a path for the group of ten or so women and children they were trying to escort.

They suppressed their fear admirably and stood their ground, and for a moment, it seemed they might just pull off a victory. One of the human warriors thrust his spear out, piercing a zombie's rotting skull. Another one, particularly burly, swung his mace in a wide arc, obliterating two skeletons in one mighty swing, smashing them to pieces and scattering bone fragments across the street.

Ainz scowled down at them: such a desperate and futile effort. All this effort, only to then round the next corner and encounter an even larger number of undead that would overwhelm their pathetic resistance in an instant.

But just as he deemed it not worth intervening and began to tear his eyes away, the images of his eight floor-guardians overlapped with the paladins.

And that was enough to change his mind.

"[Fireball]," he chanted apathetically, blasting a large orb of flame down on them.

The paladins' heads all swivelled up in confusion as the street was suddenly bathed in a rapidly-intensifying orange glow.

They didn't even have time to register what was happening as half the street was blown away. Two zombies were caught in the blast as well—inconsequential collateral damage.

When the magical fire and smoke finally cleared shortly after, the paladins were all gone: all that remained of them were empty pieces of armour and ownerless weapons which clattered to the ground.

Perhaps if the paladins' numbers hadn't been so coincidentally unlucky, the Sorcerer King wouldn't have felt compelled to interfere, and they could've preserved their lives for a few minutes longer.

Ainz shuddered relievedly.

The now-unprotected women and children's eyes widened in hopeless disbelief. Some crumpled to the ground in silent despair, others clung desperately to one another. The children buried their faces into the soothing waists of their mothers, from whom they had sought asylum all their lives.

Within seconds, the remaining zombies—and others that had been attracted by the commotion—were upon them, encircling them with outstretched arms and gaping jaws, eager to plunge their teeth into succulently supple flesh.

Ainz looked away. There was no need to watch, he knew full-well what would become of them. Besides, scenes like this were playing out all around the city, right this very moment, even without his meddling.

**93,849.**

"[Undeath Slave Sight]," he chanted, closing his eyes shut in concentration. He searched for one of his Rippers—ah, right there, heading towards one of the most plentiful groupings of human souls, fleeing towards the Northern gate.

Now implanted within his minion's head as a passenger, Ainz-opened 'his' eyes.

The Ripper was currently sprinting down the street at a breakneck pace, giggling insanely to itself. The knife-wielding arms Ainz saw pumping in the corners of 'his' vision were soaked in blood, absolutely dripping. He was certain that this Ripper alone must have taken hundreds of lives all on its own.

Finally, it rounded the corner, a good sprint-distance ahead of its lower-level, shambling compatriots.

The humans—safely 5,000 of them, packed like sardines in a messy row as a few dozen paladins desperately tried to corral them to safety.

"Ga-heeheheheHEE!" the Ripper reared its head back to let out a harrowing howl of laughter, overjoyed by the sight of new prey.

The humans in the rear looked back, eyes wide with terror, before turning around to vainly push against the people ahead of them, frantically urging them to move faster.

"Rally to me!" a brazen tone declared—a lieutenant, based on his armour, planted himself firmly in the Ripper's path.

Half a dozen more soldiers took up his flank, forming a protective semicircle around the rear of the citizens' line.

The lieutenant, foolishly emboldened by his advantage of numbers, risked looking over his shoulder:

"Clerics, ready the—!" he began to order.

But he had grossly underestimated the Ripper's speed, and as he whirled around in shock as the shadow of the pouncing undead loomed over him, a cross-slash of its claws sent his head sailing through the air.

A cry of terror rippled through the crowd as the soldier's blood-gushing head landed somewhere in the middle.

And so their already-fragile sense of organization promptly disintegrated into non-existence.

"S-shit—!" one of the other soldiers cried out, thrusting his spear out in a reckless lunge.

But the Ripper easily batted the haphazard attack away, slashing the spear in half between the soldier's two-handed grip, before slipping in close and plunging a knife into the man's throat.

Four of the remaining soldiers, with tears streaming down their faces, charged forward, swinging their swords wildly. Surely if they all attacked at once, they would at least be able to put a stop to this lone death machine..!

But with an effortless twirl, the Ripper easily twisted past the crude swings, and with blinding fast movement, slashed all four throats in an instant, rending spurts of blood from their jugulars. The four soldiers all crumpled to the ground in unison.

"W-what the fuck—!" the last two soldiers shrieked, clenching their weapons in fear-stiffened grips, frozen in place.

Should they attack now, or try to ru—!

Too late, the Ripper chose for them, zig-zagged forward in checkmark pattern to insert its blades expertly through the chinks in their armour.

"S-stop that monster!" one of the peasants cried out desperately, the first to realize that all the soldiers behind them were slaughtered, slumped against the pavement in pools of their own blood.

The ripper bowed theatrically, mockingly, and took a moment to run the edges of its blood-slathered knives against its serpentine-like tongue—before surging forward with a devilish grin.

Like a veritable meat-grinder, it began mercilessly tearing through the defenseless crowd—hacking, slashing, and stabbing at everything in its path; men, women, children, elderly, it did not matter. Its blades were indiscriminate tools of destruction, leaving minced meat, slashed guts and severed limbs in their wake.

With each stroke of its death-dealing paintbrushes, it coated its canvas, the street, red with the blood of the innocent.

So, so, so much blood.

A handful of clerics, overseeing the evacuation atop rooftops on either side of the street, sick and dizzy from the nightmarish spectacle below them, raised their staffs in trembling grasps, trying desperately to take aim at the frenetically-dancing undead below, who was carving through the people they had sworn to protect with such unrelenting ease.

"[T-turn Unde—!]"

_Krakoom!_

But a volley of fireballs silenced their voices, exploded at their feet, blew them away in an instant. Fiery debris and charred limbs rained down on the horde of retreating citizens.

The Liches and all the other undead for that matter had finally caught up and got to work cleaning up the few stragglers that had managed to elude the Ripper's undeterrable path forward. There was so much fresh meat ahead of it for hundreds of meters, it couldn't be bothered to backtrack for the few 'fortunate' individuals it had missed.

The red-running streets squelched horrendously under the undead army's hungry footfalls, treading onwards, following the path the Ripper had so considerately cleared for them.

Finally, the Ripper had reached the end—the front of the line. The numbers had been thinned so much that the last few hundred survivors could now sprint, unimpeded by the bustling bodies of other humans, who now lay dead behind and all around them.

This pleased the Ripper—it always loved a good chase.

And so they ran, desperately, extending wistful hands out towards the city's gate which was well within their grasp, less than a hundred feet away—!

But alas, that's as close as they would get.

**From 5,000, all the way down to 0.**

The Sorcerer King's eyes flashed open, now within his own body again: the only thing to greet him was a deafening silence. He was now far removed from the action—the streets below him, as garishly decorated with entrails as they were, were completely still and soundless. Nothing moved—all the living in his immediate vicinity had been butchered, and the undead had long-since moved on.

It was… peaceful.

For several minutes, he floated idly, attuned to his minions' desires, their unabating appetites as they continued to prowl the streets in search of the living. The screams were sounding perceptibly farther and farther away from him, fading in his ears as distant whispers.

With morbid curiosity, Ainz activated [Greater Detect Life] again and languidly scanned the city below.

"...ah…"

It was astonishing. In less than thirty minutes, it had already come to this…

Across this expansive city, which stretched for miles and miles beneath his ungrounded feet…

There remained—sprinkled, scattered, and lost—only 14,000 living souls.

It was inconceivable, to think his summons had ravaged this city with such uninhibited ferocity—thousands of lives had been taken with each passing minute. Even when taking into account the fact that, in all likeliness, some corpses were reanimating, joining his ranks, as was typical in places experiencing such extreme and wanton slaughter by the hands of the undead—Ainz had still expected this to have taken a few hours.

Were his own emotions, his fury and anguish, so impressionable that it frenzied his minions to such an extent?

Yes, that had to be it. All of it: all the death, the slaughter—the skeletons' weapons, the zombies' teeth, the banshees' wails, the lich's spells, the Rippers' knives—it was all **him. **Their appetite, although for a different craving, was very much his own.

And he, like them, was feeling better now.

Now, though—perhaps because he WAS feeling less agitated, and perhaps because the humans' numbers had dwindled so considerably—the death rate was slowing considerably. But it was still steady. The hunt was not over.

**12,000.**

The living souls, in the absence of all others, were now like beacons, attracting the throngs of undead to their increasingly-exclusive light.

Down, down, down the counter went in his head, so astonishingly quick that Ainz had very quickly become desensitized to the notion of what the number actually represented.

**It was just a number. **Counting down to the end of his misanthropic venting.

Time continued its insensitive march.

**5,000.**

Now there were only the stragglers, the few-and-far-between who had survived longer than everyone else only on account of sheer luck. Ainz could feel a shift in the air, primal and cold—the living were now outnumbered.

This was officially a city of the dead. His city.

He let out a long, weary sigh. He felt exhausted, having achieved such stimulating catharsis.

He was done now.

Touching gently down on the ground, he raised a hand and conjured forth a [Gate]. He dithered for only a moment, considering if he should wait until the counter hit 0. But that was not necessary. It would hit zero sooner or later, with or without his presence, and there was nothing left for him to gain from staying.

And so he stepped through, turning his back to the mess he created. Soon, his summons would be dispelled—but the undead that would naturally arise over the coming days would remain indefinitely to aimlessly meander about the streets. Would the Northern Holy Kingdom try and reclaim their city? It's doubtful they have the resources. Then perhaps the demihumans would?

Ah, but then he supposed if the humans used the runic equipment he had donated to them, they could probably mount a force strong enough to exterminate this death-ridden city, provided they didn't wait too long, or else the numbers would become too great.

Ah, he was getting lost in thought again. It didn't matter what befell this city in the future.

And with that final thought, the overlord stepped through the [Gate].

_Fwip!_

The world around him changed in an instant, from that of an apocalyptic cityscape to a lush, open-air countryside, in which he stood on the peak of a verdant hill. A few feet to his right was Neia's body, propped against the base of a lone tree, unmoved and untouched.

Far-off in the horizon, the impenetrable-looking walls of the capital city loomed—from this distance, it was impossible to tell that the city had been taken over by the dead.

The only evidence was the pungent smell of the dead, entrenched deeply within his nostrils. Not that he particularly minded.

The sun was beginning to set, and the Sorcerer King leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes, relishing in the sun's consoling warmth, listening to the rustling of tawny foliage overhead.

Yes… all was well, now.

After a few moments of listless ponderance, he opened his eyes and knelt down, producing a wand from his robe.

"[Greater Revive]," he whispered, activating the eighth-tier spell.

An instant later, his loyal ranger's eyes flashed open, and she bolted upright, clutching at her throat, already on the verge of hyperventilation.

Until the Sorcerer King placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and she whirled around to face him.

"It's okay, Neia. You're safe now," he explained soothingly.

Neia's eyes widened in surprise. How did she get here? The last thing she remembered…

She raised a hand to rub at her bruised throat, clenching her tearful eyes shut tight.

She was confused about a lot of things right now, but there was one thing she was certain of.

"A-A-Ainz-sama… y-you came… you r-r-really came for me..!" she blubbered joyfully.

The sovereign silently nodded his head.

Consumed by emotions, Neia dove straight into the overlord's arms, burying her face into his chest.

It was a very rude and unbecoming act, she was well-aware of this, but she couldn't help it.

All the fear she had felt over the last few days—now that it seemed it was all over now—came bubbling back. The terror she felt leading up to her execution, the tense anxiety that had knotted her stomache as Remedios verbally and physically abused her until it was time. The fear she had felt in her final moments, choking, being strangled, on display for hundreds of laughing people: she was forced to accept the fact that Ainz-sama might not actually come to save her..!

It was horrible. By far, the most horrible thing she had ever endured, and she had been through a lot.

And so, much to her joy, when Ainz did not pull away, and instead placed a hand on the back of her head in acceptance of her feelings, what little amount of restraint Neia had completely dissolved.

She sobbed pitifully, her whole body a trembling mess, grabbing hold of her saviour's robes by the fistful, never wanting to let go.

"It seems you've suffered greatly because of my mistakes... and for that, I am sorry," the overlord apologized quietly.

She curled up tighter in his arms like a frightened little girl.

"You're safe now… it's all over," he assured, looking back towards the city in the distance.

Now, he supposed: it was time to go **home.**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Sooooooooooooooooo... I am back.**

**And I am sorry XD.**

**Sorry for many things, actually, but namely the whole 'hEy gUyS i'M dOnE sChOoL sO i CaN uPdAtE oNcE a WeEk nOw' and then barely two weeks later just taking my longest hiatus yet. Yeah...**

**I was unfortunately blindsided by a few things, some work-related, some more personal... all very distracting, to say nothing else.**

**Not all unpleasant though. I spent some time on some other personal projects, like my own original novel I started writing last year but had put on the back burner to concentrate on this fanfic. (I've churned out about thirty pages these past few weeks: not much, I know, and most of it remains largely unedited. but its a start)!**

**It was nice to write something for myself again, leisurely, and not have to worry about re-examining everything with a magnifying glass in preparation for a self-imposed deadline for others to read. I'll most likely mention my novel and its progress again briefly in future chapters of this fic, because it is an exciting endeavour for me :p and it's not entirely irrelevant, as it's a fantasy/adventure that draws inspiration from many shows and videogames alike, especially series like Overlord and Black Clover. Maybe some of you would be interested in checking it out at some point once it's ready.**

**But I can hear it already:**

** "is this dude serious? hasn't updated in two months, returns with a mere 5,000 word chapter, and he has the AUDACITY to plug his own work?! Heeeeeeeeeeeell no!" (- you, probably).**

**So I'll stop for now, sorry :p**

**On a more serious note, I'm feeling better now. Thank you for your continued patience, on with the story. **

**Chapter 23**

**"Albedo's Resolve"**

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

Deep breath.

Exhale.

"Come Neia, we're leaving," I whisper into Neia's ear, giving her a gentle push off of me before standing up.

"W-where are we going, Ainz-sama..?" she asks, looking up at me from the ground with a flushed expression. perhaps regretting our separation.

I offer a melancholic smile and silently extend a hand down towards her. After a moment of hesitation, she grabs hold and I hoist her to her feet.

"...**Home,**" I finally reply: "[Gate]".

"Ah!" Neia gasps excitedly, flashing a broad grin—but perhaps upon noticing my morosity, it quickly fades.

I narrow my eyes towards the opaque vortex, beyond which I'm certain the guardians of Nazarick are waiting—like lost and abandoned cattle...

"..."

"A-Ainz-sama..?" Neia ventures cautiously.

"...It's nothing, let's go".

If I spend any more time just staring at it, I might end up changing my mind...

Seizing Neai's hand—with far more force than was warranted—I lead her through the [Gate].

_Wuuuuuong!_

The world melts away, folds in on itself, and from the encompassing darkness there comes a light, paving the way for a very familiar environment.

_Click Click_!

My shoes tap against the marble floor of Nazarick's throne room, compelling eight miserable faces to swivel my way in disbelief.

I purse my lips in disgust. Of course they're still here, waiting, just as I had predicted. How pathetic.

I stare down at their now-bowed heads, dipped and trembling, the whole lot of them.

Not even Albedo or Demiurge have the gall to meet my eyes.

They know better than that, at least.

I hear Neia gulp behind me before she shuffles forward, seeking refuge at my side.

I place a hand on her shoulder—an innocuous reassurance that did not go unnoticed or appreciated by the guardian overseer, as I watch her shift agitatedly in place.

"What is it Albedo? Already trying to devise a plan to kill her off as well?" I ask nonchalantly.

"!"

I manage to catch a glimpse of the overseer's eyes widening fearfully before my view of them becomes obstructed by the top of her head.

"N-no, of course not, Ainz-sama, I would—!"

"This is Neia Baraja," I begin, silencing the stumbling succubus: "I'm sure some of you are already familiar with her: she was a very important asset during the time I spent in in the Holy Roble Kingdom, and has devoted herself wholeheartedly to the promulgation of my greatness. She'll be living in Nazarick for the time being".

"I-I will be..?" Neia exclaims in surprise.

I nod my head unequivocally, eliciting a fierce blush from the speechless captain.

I redirect my gaze to the kneeling guardians:

"And not that it means anything to any of you, apparently, but: Neia Baraja is under my protection as an honourary member of the Sorcerer Kingdom. Should any harm befall her, those responsible will be punished accordingly".

The guardians all nod emphatically.

"E-eh..?" Neia squeaks in confusion as I grab her hand again and lead her forward at a brisk pace, stepping past my prostrating subordinates without a second glance.

"I-I-I look forward to working alongside all of you!" Neia exclaims over her shoulder before I drag her out of the throne room.

_Creeeeeak!_

As soon as the heavy doors fully close behind us, I release Neia's hand and brace myself against the corridor's wall with a shaky sigh.

Ah… I feel so tired all of a sudden… perhaps I had been careless and expended too much mana during my rampage..?

But no, I barely depleted half of my mana pool. And mana fatigue is a very distinct sensation, much different from this… this dissociative heaviness. It feels like I'm unravelling...

"A-Ainz-sama!" Neia exclaims in surprise at my spontaneous deterioration, rushing to my side.

I wave her off dismissively.

"No, I'm fine, really… just a little tired, pardon me," I assure with a smile—unconvincingly, apparently, if Neia's reluctant expression is of any indication.

"I think I should go and rest now… I will send a maid to escort you to your chambers, so please wait here," I quickly add to change the topic: "Welcome to Nazarick, Baraja-san," I smile.

"A-ah… yes, thank you, Ainz-sama! For everything!" the captain sputters with an awkward bow.

I purse my lips guiltily. I wonder if she would be saying that if she knew about what I had just done..?

No, I don't want to think of that. But it's not like I can keep something like that from her for long... I'll have to tell her sooner rather than later, I suppose.

With a wave of my arm, I quickly teleport myself to my chambers, away from all prying eyes.

I let out a heavy sigh and eye my bed desperately.

There's so much to do, and even more to think about… is it really alright for me to sleep at a time like this..?

That's assuming I'd even be ABLE to fall asleep if I tried...behind my droopy eyelids, my mind is still buzzing with unconducive thoughts of the future.

In all likelihood, it will only become harder for me to fall asleep in the coming days, once I start setting things in motion.

... After I make some tough decisions.

...

And so the throne-room doors shut, separating the guardians once again from their Supreme One.

Though they could still vividly sense him just beyond the door, so painfully close, they might as well be separated by an infinitely-expansive chasm.

"He… he hates us…" the beast-tamer whispered in a soft, broken tone.

The guardians all shuddered.

"Yes… yes, it would appear so…" Albedo mumbled forlornly, staring blankly at the vacant throne.

It was over, the succubus figured. All of her dreams, all of her ambitions, were now gone: irretrievable, swallowed up by this depthless chasm, the edge of which she herself was teetering precariously.

She furtively glanced around her at everyone else. Surely, they must all despise her too. It was her idea, after all, to kill Jade. She was mostly responsible for their current situation. There was nothing left for her on this side of the rift, it seemed. But perhaps that was for the best.

She had hurt Ainz-sama—the man whom she supposedly loves—in countless ways in such a short period of time. She had tricked him, lied to him, gone against his word, and gone behind his back.

Those aren't things you do to the people you love, under any circumstance. She couldn't help but wonder what was WRONG with her.

"S-so… what exactly do we do now..?" Shalltear murmured in a dazed stupor.

But her question went unanswered, for not even Demiurge could think of a way to salvage their blunder.

Hmm?

Albedo looked down at her hand, trembling, clutching her war axe, holding it close to her chest. Its cold edge glistened tantalizingly.

When had she conjured it..? She did not mean to…

Or perhaps she did, subconsciously. There was, after all, nothing she could do now. Nowhere to go, except inside the chasm, of course.

And so in trance-like capitulation, Albedo began to slowly raise her weapon's edge towards her throat.

She felt nothing as she did, except for the distant prick of the onyx blade against her flesh.

It was over. She was sure Ainz-sama wouldn't even bother resurrecting her if she did something like this. Her death would likely elate him, she realized.

Removing herself from his life was the best thing she could do to make up for her sins: to do that which her kind-hearted master could not bring himself to carry out. It was the least she could do, a paltry atonement on her part—but it was something.

The axe neared ever closer. Its immaculate edge pricked the skin of her neck and she shivered in anticipation, taking a moment to swallow one final time before pressing it in deeper.

She felt her skin break open, and a tear—not born from physical pain—rolled out of her closed eyes.

Yes, this was the least she could do now.

!

But her hand was suddenly stayed, impeded by a firm grip.

The overseer's eyes flashed open in surprise.

_Fwishhh!_

A cold expulsion of air blasted her face at point-blank range, and the overseer felt her eyelashes begin to frost over.

"What. Were. You. About. To. Do. Exactly?" the insect warrior spat out, his mandibles clicking in a disparaging rhythm mere inches away from Albedo's recoiling face.

"C-cocytus…" the overseer stammered shamefully.

"How. Cowardly." the guardian reproached in a tone more biting than the chill of his breath. Like an adult confiscating an unsafe toy from a child, he ripped the axe from Albedo's trembling grasp and tossed it to the side. She winced as it clattered clamorously across the floor

Cocytus stood up with a huff of disgust and turned his back to the trembling overseer.

All eyes were on her, widened in sympathetic disbelief, only adding to her humiliation.

"You. Do. Not. Get. To. Take. The. Easy. Way. Out." Cocytus hissed, turning back around with his arms folded disapprovingly over his chest: "You. Do. Not. Deserve. Nor. Have. The. Luxury. To. Act. So. Selfishly." he added relentlessly.

The overseer could no longer contain herself, her white-hot embarrassment.

"Then what the hell do you propose we do, Cocytus?! There's nothing, we're finished!" she wailed, boiling over from what she believed, for her own sake, to be an unnecessarily drawn-out beratement.

Though deep down she was only frustrated with herself.

"There. Is. Something. We. Can. Do." Cocytus assured with a resolute nod, and everyone's eyes widened in shock.

"Something... we can do..?" Demiurge ventured hopefully.

The fifth-floor guardian hummed thoughtfully, taking a step back, turning his back to the kneeling collective.

A prolonged exhale of cold air ruffled the tense atmosphere.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he turned back around.

"There. Is. Only. One. Thing. We. Can. Do." he assured unequivocally, staring down at the overseer with a determined glare: "We. Must. Continue. To. Serve. Ainz-sama. With. All. Our. Hearts. As. We. Always. Have. And. Devote. Every. Fibre. Of. Our. Beings. To. Better. Serve. Him" he revealed plainly.

The succubus clenched her fists at such an obvious, uninspired suggestion.

"Cocytus… I fear that that won't be enough this time!" she admitted crestfallenly.

The dark elves' ears drooped in gloomy concurrence. Shalltear's face was buried in her hands. Both Demiurge's and Pandora's Actor's faces were inscrutable masks, stiffened by concentration, hopelessly deep in thought.

"Perhaps. Not. But…" Cocytus trailed off candidly.

"But," another voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention towards the throne-room's entrance.

"But," Sebas repeated: "at the very least, it would be a good start. Our predicament may look hopeless now, but I sense that things can and will get better. it may take months, years, or even decades of unfaltering loyalty on our part, but... I believe that if Ainz-sama truly lacked the capacity to forgive us, it's unlikely that he would've spared us to begin with. Though we are undeserving, Ainz-sama has given us a chance at redemption. Would it not be another inexcusable blunder on our part to squander such a precious opportunity and just give up?" he pointed out while stepping forward.

With a gentle smile, he extended a hand down towards the fallen succubus

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise, sparkling moistly with hope, though there still remained a looming cloud of pragmatic skepticism to dampen their newfound optimism.

As benevolent and altruistic as lord Ainz was, could they actually still have a chance at redemption..?

The dark elf's ears perked back up. Shalltear found the composure to peak through her fingers. Demiurge and P.A shook their heads, managing for the first time in quite a while to evacuate their headspaces.

"Cocytus… Sebas…" the overseer whispered, glancing back and forth between the two of them and wondering how they could remain so strong in such a hopeless situation. A bit tentatively, she reach up and grabbed Sebas' hand: with a reassuring squeeze and a gentle tug, he helped her to her feet.

"Don't… don't you hate me now?" the succubus murmured.

Sebas shook his head: "hate you? No, nothing like that. No more so than I hate myself, at least," he whispered sardonically, releasing the overseer's hand to clench his own shut.

The overseer's heart plummeted. Perhaps out of all the guardians, Sebas was the least deserving of their Lord's scorn. He and Cocytus both, actually. They were reluctant, but she had played to their subservient natures and preyed upon their doubts to convince them that Jade was a legitimate problem.

And now, to hear that he did not loathe her—and she was almost certain that she would loathe him if their positions were reversed—well...

She felt truly, truly awful.

"Sebas… Cocytus… all of you… I'm sorry for—" she began, but Sebas raised his other hand to stop her.

"To apologize now would only be an insult to our pride and dignity. It's just as Ainz-sama pointed out: I made a choice," he assured, pausing for a moment to look around at everyone: "we all did. We are all culpable".

"Do… do you all feel the same?" Albedo asked the room, doubtfully.

How could they not despise her?

But to her surprise, everyone immediately nodded their heads with a resolute sincerity that sent a warm tingle rippling through her chest.

It would seem that they didn't actually hate her after all.

The demon cleared his throat.

"I am at least equally responsible for what happened as you are, Albedo, and so to condemn you would And so I too shall take a moment to ask for everyone's forgiveness…" Demiurge murmured, taking a moment to straighten his tie before rising to his feet: "And perhaps now, more than ever, we need to work together".

"I agreeEEEEEEEEEE!" Pandora's actor followed suit with a dramatic cry: "as if I could hold a grudge against such raaa~aavishing BEEEEEEEEEEEEUATY anyway!"

"M-mhm! I-I don't hate you A-Albedo-san! A-And I-I definitely don't want Ainz-sama to hate us! S-so we should stick together-!" Mare cried tearfully, scrambling to his feet.

"M-mare…" Aura squeaked in awe. With a shake of her head—not wanting to be outdone by her brother—she too jumped to her feet with a smile.

The vampire was the last to get up.

"Well, I suppose we can forgive you this once, Albedo. BUT, the fact remains that you were still the one who set everything in motion," she snorted with a nonchalant sneer: "I still think you should be held accountable for your actions in some way..."

"Shallty…" Aura groaned warningly.

And yet, contrary to everyone's expectations, Albedo dipped her head forward.

"I couldn't agree more, Shalltear-san," the succubus concurred, much to the Victorian-esque guardian's astonishment: "I should—no, I MUST be punished, thoroughly, for putting all of you in such an unfavourable circumstance due to my… jealousy," she confessed shamefully: "I failed all of you, as both your leader and your comrade. Although it's true that you all could've refused my plan, I all but coerced you into it. I thrust what I had come to learn upon all of you in a fear-mongering and self-servingly biased fashion," she confessed glumly.

"..."

The overseer smiled at her comrades' conflicted silence.

"Glad to see we're all in agreement. So I implore you all, collectively: devise a suitable punishment for me, AND Regardless of what you come up with, I've already decided on a punishment I will self-impose from this day forth," she quickly added before anyone could say anything: "I… I've decided to give up on my pursuit of becoming Ainz-sama's wife—".

!

And as soon as the words had left her mouth, her breath hitched. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders: it was done. she had verbalized the potentially self-destructive thought she had been mulling over in the back of her mind these past few days

Now shared with others, the thought was no longer hers alone. It was made real, irrevocable.

And she was okay with that.

"A-Albedo…" Shalltear murmured in disbelief. Though she should've been thrilled by such news, she was not. The succubus' sincerity completely took the wind out of her sails.

"I only ask," the overseer prattled on, disturbing the sombre silence once again: "that you temporarily put your grievances with me aside for now, Shalltear, until we manage to salvage our relationship with the supreme one. I know that's a selfish request, but… as Demiurge said, we need to work together now, united as one. I… I need to do right by Ainz-sama, and all of you…"

Everyone nodded with contemplative sympathy—bittersweet tears—brimming in their eyes.

"Thank you all, truly…" the succubus whispered with a heavy sigh.

Never becoming Ainz-sama's wife, huh... could she really adhere to such a punishment..?

Yes. She had to.

Even if by some miracle Ainz-sama were to forgive her and there was a chance… she could never forgive herself. She didn't deserve him.

Surely there was someone out there who would be a better fit for him. There had to be.

A melancholic smile etched its way onto the overseer's otherwise stoic (or perhaps 'numb', would be a better word) countenance as the image of a certain woman flashed through her mind.

Yes… at this rate, perhaps he would end up with her after all.

Albedo shook her head. No, she would not consider such things. Just because she was accepting the fact that her relationship with the Overlord would not, or should not, develop beyond that which it already was—a comical instance of unrequited love—did not mean she was willing to entertain such torturous thoughts. Her heart could not take that.

And so she shook her head, taking a moment to look around at all of her compatriots before taking a deep breath. Come tomorrow, no more mistakes or slip-ups. "Well then… let's get to work, shall we?"

**POV Ainz**

**.**

**.**

**.**

Another sleepless night for me, I guess: where time seems both infinitely quick and painfully slow—a dissociation brought on by terrifying uncertainty, and perpetuated by the sheer sleep-repelling sense of dread fostered from the sheer discrepancy between my inner perception of the passage of time and reality. On one hand, after being deep in thought for what feels like an eternity, I'll emerge from my spiralling headspace only to discover a mere five minutes have passed. And yet other times, after gazing vacuously at the ceiling for what feels like a few seconds, I'll blink away the numbness only to discover an hour has passed.

Head buried in my pillow; tossing and turning; sweating profusely.

And to combat this insufferable limbo, what have I, the supreme and infallible ruler of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, resorted to?

Well… behold! my unparalleled genius—!

"...One-thousand-six-hundred and thirty-two Manglyan Sheep… one-thousand-six-hundred and thirty-three Manglyan sheep," I whisper to myself hopelessly while staring blankly at my room's ceiling.

"..."

Oh who am I kidding, I've already tried this before and it didn't help at all!

I flip over too quickly out of frustration and accidentally bash my head against my bed's headboard.

"Yowch, that's hard…" I exclaim, rubbing my temple (a reflexive response, it didn't actually hurt at all) while tapping the solid piece of oak with my knuckle.

!

"Ah, maybe if I do that a few dozen more times, I could knock myself out..?"

I laugh quietly. Much more likely than that, I would end up destroying the headboard before I even incurred one health-point worth of damage, let alone knock myself out.

That isn't how I need to be 'using my head' right now.

"Haaaaaah…"

All this restlessness, spawned from a single question:

_**What comes next?**_

And just as elusive as sleep itself, so too is the answer to such a question. In the four hours since I first laid myself down on this bed, constantly dwelling on this thought, I'm no closer to figuring anything out.

The future… what does it hold for me and Nazarick?

I turn my head to the side and mournfully eye Jade's diary, innocuously perched upon my bedside table.

I read through it all, every page I had skipped earlier, thinking it might help. Distract me, comfort me, guide me, inspire me… do something that could help answer the burning question of _what now? _

And yet in so doing—intrusively reading the words that were likely only ever written for herself—I was instilled with a peculiar sense of intimacy, and thus I continue to dither.

The guardians of Nazarick... I have no idea how to feel about them: I can neither hate nor forgive them. So where does that leave me, exactly?

In a peculiar and awful middle-ground, that's where.

Maybe… Maybe I just need a break. To collect my thoughts. Ah, but there's a troublesome thought, chock-full of complications.

_Leaving Nazarick._

!

I bolt upright in bed, compelled by the anxiety created from the mere consideration of such a concept.

"[Greater Elicit Emotion]," I quickly chant, donning my undead and unfeeling form. The pit in my stomach promptly dissolves.

I stare down at my skeletal hands appreciatively.

Well, getting to sleep is officially out of the question, and I certainly don't want to be at the mercy of my rampant imagination for hours to come so… I suppose I'll head to the library. Maybe a change of scenery would do me some good right now. Maybe I can find a good book to distract me…

!

A change of scenery after all, is it…

Ah, no more thinking about things like that. One thing, and one day at a time. There are plenty of things I need to investigate before I can, in good conscience, even consider pursuing a change of scenery.

First and foremost, I need to figure out who left Jade's diary at my doorstep and tipped me off to the guardians' betrayal.

That'll be the first order of business tomorrow: and I think I have the perfect plan to determine who it was.

**POV Zesshi**

**(the next day)**

**.**

**.**

**.**

"The Sorcerer King did what now?" I ask in shock.

The Black Scriptures captain lets out a despondent sigh and shakes his head.

"He completely wiped out Roble's capital city. Over a hundred thousand casualties, most of which were civilians—gone, in the blink of an eye. It's a city of the dead now," he explains.

I bite my lower lip. Just what in the world did he hope to accomplish with such a gruesome display of wanton destruction..? I mean, I'm not going to paint myself a hypocrite by pretending to condemn his actions, but… it doesn't seem like something a man as mild-mannered and cunning as himself would do out of the blue.

Perhaps I was wrong about him after all? Maybe he's forsaken his ambition to conquer the continent peacefully. But then again, if I was mistaken on what kind of a man he was, I likely wouldn't be alive right now… so then what? Is this all apart of some grander scheme I'm not privy to?

Maybe I should ask him myself? He did leave me a few scrolls to contact him with if something came up.

I glance back to the captain, kneeling at my feet.

"Who knows about this incident?" I inquire

If word of this incident gets out to the nobles, or Gods forbid the general population, it will utterly cripple the Theocracy's vassalization process.

"Who knows about the incident, you ask?" the captain parrots with a tired smile: "just about everyone by now, I'd expect. The first ones to discover the atrocity were merchants who travelled to the Roble city this morning: word spread like wildfire along the commercial channels, and by midday, long before even I caught wind of things, every shopping district in the kingdom was abuzz with the news".

I click my tongue in annoyance. Well there goes that hope…

I clench my fist. Ainz Ooal-Gown-dono… what the hell are you playing at?! I must be missing something...

!

Don't tell me! Could this be… an elaborate plan to test my merits and my loyalty..?

That sneaky—! Yes, that must be it! So that's what this is about, it has to be.

And to think, I was just about to contact him and ask about his intentions! I would've made a fool of myself!

I sneer triumphantly.

"Zesshi..?" the captain asks, noticing my expression.

"It's nothing".

"... Do you know something? Why he did it?"

I narrow my eyes. Perhaps I underestimate his cleverness.

"I have my suspicions, but nothing concrete. For now, I'll need some time with the pontifex to consider some things. In the meantime, you can go: gather some men, holy men if you can, and do some reconnaissance in the city—try to mitigate the deterioration of the Sorcerer King's image to the best of your abilities. Report back by sunset," I order.

"...Understood," the captain says with a bow of his head, glancing furtively towards the hazy-eyed man sitting beside me with the slightest of scowls.

"Now now, that's no way to look at our esteemed pontifex. Show some respect," I tease.

The captain rises to his feet, wiping wearily at his face.

"I'll show no respect to a puppet when the handler of its strings stands before me," he snorts. Turning around with a flippant wave, he exits the throne room.

"You two, go with him," I bark, addressing the entrance guards. At their hesitation, I place a hand on the pontifex's shoulder, drawing him from his stupor.

"Yes, leave us," he orders quietly.

After exchanging confused looks, they both bow and quietly depart.

"Good boy," I whisper in the pontifex's ear with a sly grin,

Just you wait, Ainz-sama, I'll pass your silly little test, you conniving overlord… and then, once the Theocracy is fully under your control, and I've earned your trust, I'll make myself home at Nazarick by your side and then I will convince you to bestow your seed upon me and—!

!

I place a hand to my chest. What… what is this… beating? My heart..?

I close my eyes and focus on the feverish rhythm pounding against my palm.

Is this what's called excitement..? I thought myself long since incapable of having such feelings. It's been so long since anything's made me feel so… invigorated.

I finally have a purpose again, a chance at finally attaining my lifelong dream…

Ah… I can't recall the last time my heart raced this quickly… it's a bit uncomfortable.

I take a deep breath to subdue my pulse.

Ainz-Ooal Gown-dono… I'll make you mine if it's the last thing I do.

**...**

**A/N: Again sorry for being gone for so long, and sorry this chapter is short... it's really more of a setup, to get this story on all interested parties' radar again, and ease myself back into the right headspace for this narrative.**

**As an additional aside, I forgot to mention in the last update, that throughout April I went back and re-edited some of this story's chapters (the first six or seven, I cannot recall). I spent many hours polishing and editing them-the story and plot remains unchanged, obviously, so it isn't necessary that you go back and read it again. but some of them REALLY needed some cleaning up as far as I'm concerned. I'm almost surprised any of you stuck through with this story O_o. The zesshi vs lupusregina fight in chapter 6, which, at the time, I was extremely proud of, was particularly HORRENDOUS. It is MUCH better now, so if you're a long-time reader and ever feel bored, I'd suggest going back and reading it. **

**It was both uplifting and discouraging experience to revisit the older chapters and see how terrible some parts were... uplifting, because it means I've grown a lot as a writer (something which is often difficult to notice in ****oneself), but it was also discouraging, because I can't help but wonder If I'll look back at these more recent chapters in a year's time and cringe all the same.**

**I intend to go back and revisit chapter 7 onwards at a later date, but for now, clearly, I need to focus on continuing the actual story before backtracking again.**

**Thank you for your continued patience, see you next chapter.**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Phew, got this done in under a month! I'll keep this brief, not much to say honestly. Same old, same old really. I just hope you're all doing well and staying healthy. Thanks for your continued patience!**

* * *

**Chapter 24: **

**Here For You**

"Ainz-sama's coming to visit soon, isn't he?" CZ asked.

Without looking up from her book, Yuri nodded.

"Indeed. In about an hour, as a matter of fact".

"So, he's finally going to tell us what's been going on this past week..?" Narberal asked hopefully.

Yuri narrowed her eyes: "Narberal, watch your tone. You've no right to expect such a thing: Ainz-sama has no obligation to divulge anything to us. Regardless of the purpose, the fact that the Supreme One would take time out of his busy schedule to visit us at all should be enough to satisfy you," she scolded.

Narberal winced at the accusation with a reddening expression: "O-of course, I never meant to imply otherwise! I just want to know what's been troubling Ainz-sama so I can begin serving him better as soon as possible!"

"Ow…" CZ-whined, clutching at her ears and shooting an annoyed glare up at her flustered sister.

Yuri sighed.

Though she wouldn't admit it, she too hoped the supreme one would be willing to shed some light on what's been happening recently. All of Nazarick was growing more and more restless by the day, desperate to find out just what had transpired between Ainz-sama and the guardians.

"Yuri-san," Solution suddenly called, drawing the eldest sister from her thoughts: "why is Ainz-sama coming here..? It's, well… a bit unorthodox…" she trailed off, glancing around the room self-consciously.

Yuri adjusted her glasses.

"Yes, it is a bit strange… why the supreme one would come here rather than have us join him in the throne room, I can only guess…"

All the sisters hummed thoughtfully. After a while of fruitless ponderance, Entoma's concealed mandibles clicked in capitulation, and everyone else took that as a sign and gave up as well.

As usual, the reasoning behind the supreme one's actions was far beyond their comprehension.

"About 58 minutes left, huh… I suppose it's time for that?" CZ suggested.

Yuri held back a groan as she rose to her feet, smoothing out the single crease that dared to tarnish her impeccable uniform.

"Yes, yes, I'll go wake her up…"

"I still don't think it's fair you let her sleep all this time while we tidied up, Yuri-neesan…" Narberal confessed with a pointed scowl.

Yuri pursed her lips. It's true, and under normal circumstances, the very idea of allowing one of her sisters to oversleep when there was work to be done was utterly appalling. But these past few days, Yuri could tell something's been burdening her typically-boisterous sister. the wolf maid had been all but devoid of her typical immature and chaotic energy lately: when she wasn't working, she closed herself off in her room and hardly made a peep. Though refreshing at first, such long-lasting gloominess was highly irregular. When was the last time Yuri had seen Lupusregina smile, GENUINELY smile? These past few days, it's been nothing but feebly-forced smirks and hollow laughs.

Even more concerning was that every time Yuri tried to broach the topic and ask what was wrong, either subtly or explicitly, she had been met with a proportionally subtle or candid refusal. She had enough faith that Lupusregina would disclose the issue if it was something with potentially serious ramifications, so she didn't think it was necessary to pursue matters any further if it made her sister uncomfortable: everyone was entitled to some privacy, after all. But the fact still remained that Lupusregina was much too interpersonal and unashamed to keep any secrets, big or small, from her sisters... on the contrary, Yuri found that her loose-lipped sister had a tendency to overshare on MANY things.

She would never admit it, but Yuri was actually beginning to miss her sister's childish pranks and distasteful quips. It pained her to see her sister become so detached.

"Hey, there's no need to make a face like that," Narberal began upon noticing her eldest sister's stern expression: "I've… been worried about her too," she finally confessed, her expression softening slightly.

The other Pleiades all nodded their heads, and Yuri smiled.

"Right, of course…"

Exiting the main sitting area down the short corridor which branched into the sisters' rooms, Yuri came to a stop outside Lupusregina's chamber. Surprisingly, she couldn't hear the uncouth chorus of snores that usually greeted her from beyond the door.

Perhaps there was hope for her after all, Yuri thought to herself with a smirk while reaching for the door handle (she had long since learned that knocking would be a futile effort).

But when she opened the door a moment later, she was shocked to find the bed inside was empty—and not just empty, but already made! Perfectly, without so much as a single wrinkle along the comforter.

This… was unprecedented. But where was Lupusregina..?

"A-ah, Yuri-neesan…" a timid voice called out.

Yuri's eyes darted towards the source of the sound.

!

There, sitting at the vanity wardrobe, was her sister, looking uncharacteristically meek and unsure. The floor around her was littered with all sorts of cosmetics.

"Lupusregina… what…" Yuri stammered speechlessly.

The wolf fidgeted anxiously in her seat, averting her gaze to the floor.

"Well, er... y'know…I thought it was kinda fun when you dressed me up the other day... S-so I just thought I'd, uh, maybe, try this… stuff… out again…myself," she muttered shyly.

But the incoherent string of words was more than enough for Yuri, whose widened eyes then narrowed in understanding (or perhaps sympathy).

"A-ah!" Lupusregina gasped, flailing her arms wildly: "it's not what you think..! It's not because Ainz-sama is coming this morning or anything!"

Yuri arched her eyebrow and stepped inside.

"I made no mention of Ainz-sama," she pointed out.

"Urk—! "

And if her constrained silence wasn't telling enough, the reddening of her face certainly was.

So that's how it was, after all...

Yuri smirked and shook her head hopelessly. Checkmate in one move.

"Seriously, what am I going to do with you..." she joked, approaching her sister from behind.

Lupusregina squirmed in her chair, tentatively lifting her head but still shying away from her sister's discerning gaze in the mirror.

With a dutiful sigh, Yuri snatched the brush from Lupusregina's hand.

"Wha—hey!"

"You actually want to look GOOD, don't you? Then just sit still for a moment," Yuri scolded.

"..."

At the redhead's consensual silence, the meticulous undead set to work.

"Yowch!" the wolf yelped hardly a second later.

"Hush now. It's not my fault you did such an amateurish job curling your hair: now I have to straighten it out again before I can do it correctly," Yuri explained with unsympathetic candidness.

"Hey! It—Ow!—doesn't look—AH!—that bad!" Lupusregina whined indignantly.

"I'd say it was a commendable effort if it had been done by a death knight".

Lupusregina crossed her arms over her chest with a huff.

"Jeez, well now you're just being mean for the sake of being mean. I tried my best…" she pouted, puffing out her cheeks as she slumped in her chair dejectedly.

"I'm sure you did," Yuri said in a bored tone, knowing better than to humour her sister with an apology.

After it became clear that her childish display was not eliciting the reaction she was hoping for, Lupusregina abandoned it and flashed a wide grin—an ordinary smile no doubt, conveying mischief and self-satisfaction like any other. Normally, Yuri would not pay it any mind, but this morning she could not tear her eyes from her sister's joyful expression.

It was truly beautiful, and she had missed seeing it.

"Yuri-neesan..?" Lupusregina trailed off confusedly after noticing her sister's tender gaze.

Yuri gave her head a sobering shake.

"What? Is it so wrong for me to admire my younger sister's beauty?" she asked with honest rhetoric.

The redhead's eyes widened in surprise. Even Lupusregina, quick on her metaphorical toes as she often was, was caught off guard by such a remark, which deviated so far from their typical banter.

Her older sister, one of the people she looked up to the most, had just called her beautiful.

"J-jeez, what do I even say to that…" Lupusregina sputtered giddily, blushing profusely.

"Say nothing. Just know that you are beautiful, and I… care deeply for you," Yuri eventually settled on saying: "we're sisters. I'll always be here for you, Lupusregina, as will all of your other sisters—you're never alone, so please… don't ever feel like you have to carry a burden, big or small, all by yourself," she went on softly, running a hand through her sister's red locks.

Even as the words came out of her mouth, Yuri wasn't sure what she was saying. She was never one to get emotional, and often struggled to express such sentimental things. Did she say it right? Did it sound weird? In retrospect, she thought that might've been the case.

"Ah, look at me, saying such strange things out of the blue…" Yuri berated herself with a shake of her head: "forget I said anyth—"

!

But she stopped herself mid-sentence upon noticing the slight trembling of her sister's shoulders.

"Lupusregina..?"

The only response she got was a quiet sniffling, unsuccessfully stifled. Yuri was stunned speechless. What should she do? What should she say? It seemed her sister was more troubled than anticipated. Just what could've plagued her sister so insidiously that a single sincere comment on her part was enough to reduce her to this state? Yuri clenched her fists, now regretting the fact that she hadn't pressed Lupusregina about it sooner.

But a part of her was also angry with Lupusregina: why had she been keeping all this pain to herself? Did she not understand, after all this time, that she didn't have to hide anything..?

No, actually: thinking about it now, perhaps Lupusregina didn't understand that. Maybe she herself was to blame, with her stern and inflexible nature which could so easily be misconstrued for coldness, and that's what made her sister feel obligated to conceal her feelings right now.

But Yuri was an undead, she couldn't help it. It's one of the many reasons why she admired the supreme one so much—how despite being undead, he was able to so genuinely express kindness, love, and compassion. It was truly remarkable.

Yuri wanted to be like that too—that's the kind of older sister she always wanted to be for the Pleiades.

And so, guided by her sororal instincts, Yuri placed a reassuring hand on the redhead's shoulder—Lupusregina shivered slightly under the touch, only for a moment, before regaining her composure and flashing a weak grin over her shoulder.

'I'm fine, really!' the smile seemed to assure dismissively. It made Yuri's blood boil. How could she even TRY to hide it anymore, after what just happened?

Well, Yuri would not play along—she couldn't just turn a blind eye now, she had to make up for her own negligence after all. The cork was loosened, and Yuri was determined to wrench it out before everything was bottled back up.

Without a word, Yuri spun her sister around so that they were face to face and took Lupusregina's hands into her own.

the timid wolf looked up at her sister in disbelief, eyes glistening with a dry wetness.

"Lupusregina," Yuri began quietly, looking down at their intermingled hands, pale ivory laced with wheaty copper: "it's alright, just let it out".

She gave Lupusregina's hands a reassuring squeeze, and the wolf squeezed back, perhaps unwittingly, her whole body tense, desperate to stay intact and resist her older sister's vicious empathy.

No matter what, she did not want to break down. Not in front of anyone, but surely not in front of Yuri.

Lupusregina bit her lower lip as it began to quiver: she bit it so hard that the skin broke, promptly filling her mouth with a metallic flavour. Her throat constricted and her eyes and nose stung with the guilt she had been harbouring all alone. felt for betraying the guardians, especially Sebas (and his understanding and appreciation of her actions only exacerbated her guilt), and the pain she had caused Ainz-sama by leaving that diary at his door. All of Nazarick was imperilled because of what she did. So why had she done it? She wasn't entirely sure. She had no obligation or affection for the newcomer, so it was not a matter of revenge or justice. So then what was it, exactly..?

The fact that she could not definitively determine her own motive made it all the worse.

Oh, why did she have to notice Pandora's Actor visiting Jade's room the night before her murder? She would never have gotten involved in this mess if that hadn't happened!

But again, that begs the question: why did she get involved even after the fact? It would have been so simple to turn a blind eye. A late-night visit like that, although suspicious, was not necessarily condemning on its own. And it certainly wasn't her place to investigate the guardians in secret. She never had any problems staying out other people's business in the past—her own tasks were often troublesome enough on their own—so why did she even give it a second thought that night? And now, because of that, Nazarick might..!

"Y-yuri…" Lupusregina choked, begging her sister to release her. She couldn't take it anymore. She didn't want to have to think about it any longer. She didn't want to come undone. The smiling sadist didn't unravel—she made others unravel!

But Yuri did not give up so easily. She would be the sister Lupusregina needed right now.

"All of Nazarick has been weeping this past week, Lupusregina," she assured, lifting a hand to caress the side of Lupusregina's face affectionately: "strength is a virtue: but you, my dear sister, are simply being stubborn".

"..."

And just a few moments later, after vainly trying to blink the bitterness away, Lupusregina finally surrendered to Yuri's insistent gaze and relentless silence. As the first tears began to trickle irrepressibly from the corners of her eyes, she threw herself into her older sister's receiving arms, burying her face in Yuri's chest.

"N-no fair, Y-yuri-neesan..." she whimpered defeatedly.

With her face now hidden, Lupusregina's pride allowed the tears to flow without inhibition, and she dissolved completely.

"There there, it's going to be alright," Yuri cooed, stroking the back of her sister's head. Later, after Lupusregina had calmed down a bit, she would figure what 'it' was.

But that could wait.

Holding her trembling sister tightly to her now-damp chest, Yuri couldn't help but smile. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to tune in to the rhythm of Lupusregina's heart, which she could feel reverberating powerfully through her own lifeless chest. Looking down, she planted a soft kiss on top of the red nest of hair beneath her chin.

_Ba-dump, Ba-dump, Ba-dump!_

Was it wrong for her to be enjoying this tender moment so much..?

Maybe. But what was wrong with finding some joy in the consolation of her sister? She felt closer to Lupusregina now than ever before, and so she would cherish this moment.

Lupusregina… her insufferable, noisy, irresponsible, and clueless little sister.

Her beloved little sister.

...

"Good morning Ainz-sama!" the six Pleiades cried in unison, dropping to their knees as the supreme one entered the maids' room.

Ainz, in his human form, flashed an awkward smile and raised his hand:

"Ah, you don't need to be so formal with me in your own home, really… I'm the one intruding on your living quarters".

And, immediately, there came the typical 'Nonsense! The supreme one could never 'intrude'!'

Suzuki sighed inwardly: why did he even bother at this point?

He surveyed the bowed heads fondly, happy to be in the presence of loyal servants after so long. Unbeknownst to anyone, even himself, his eyes lingered slightly longer on one in particular.

She was beautiful, even more so than usual—there was nothing to suggest she had been in hysterics a mere hour prior to his arrival.

"To what do we owe this pleasure, Ainz-sama?" Yuri inquired dutifully.

Ainz shook his head to free himself from his subconscious' fixation, finally managing to tear his eyes off of the exotic wolf.

"Er, right. Rise," he commanded, wondering why his head suddenly felt so fuzzy.

Once all the Pleiades were on their feet, he reached into his pocket dimension and withdrew a stack of papers and a cluster of feathered pens.

"Please, have a seat wherever you feel comfortable," he encouraged with a smile: "I'll take a seat as well," he quickly added upon noticing their reluctance to sit in his presence.

The Pleiades all huddled onto the sofa, leaving the plush chair opposite to them open for the supreme one to claim.

'You didn't all have to squish together like that…' Ainz thought to himself as he took the open seat and deposited the writing materials on the coffee table between them.

"I need each of you to write something for me," Ainz explained ambiguously.

"Write something..?"

Ainz nodded: "Yes. I'm testing you all to see if you would be eligible for potentially important roles in the future. I've already had all the guardians perform this test, and after this, I'll be visiting the regular maids as well," he explained in a serious tone.

All the pleiades swallowed gravely and exchanged confused looks. None of them could have foreseen this as the reason for Ainz-sama's visit today.

This was serious indeed.

"And… what will we be writing, Ainz-sama?' Yuri inquired, readjusting her glasses in a fluster.

"It's simple, really. Just a single sentence, in fact," he went on as he separated the stack of papers and slid them out to each individual maid.

All the Pleiades eyed the blank pages fearfully. If a pin were to be dropped, you would hear it from miles away in such absolute and focused silence.

Whether or not they would be able to serve Ainz-sama in a new (and undoubtedly fulfilling) way would be judged and decided right here, right now?! And by a single sentence, no less?!

They all looked back to Ainz-sama expectantly, steeling their resolve.

The supreme one met them all with an equally serious gaze.

Just what in the world would he have them write? Surely it must be important if it's to be the sole dictator of his decision. Perhaps he would ask them a difficult question and require them to answer it as concisely as possible.

"The sentence you'll be writing is as follows," Ainz began, motioning for the Pleiades to pick up their pens. He felt like a school instructor.

" 'A quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog' ".

"..."

The Pleiades all blinked. Did they hear him right..?

"F-forgive me, but could you repeat that..?" Lupusregina stammered.

The overlord's heart skipped a peculiar beat at the sound of her voice. He coughed into his hand, unable to meet the speaker's eyes.

"Y-yes, of course. The sentence I want you to write is 'A quick brown fox leaps over the lazy dog'" he repeated—a phrase that contains every letter of the alphabet at least once.

This would give him a firm grasp of everyone's penmanship, which he could then compare to the note that was left for him in Jade's diary. This way, he could find out who it was that gave him the diary while still protecting their anonymity—who knew what the other denizens of Nazarick, the guardians, would do if word got out on who ratted them out? It could very well be tantamount to a death sentence for the exposed tipper. And if the worst didn't happen, he was sure then that their relationships with some people would certainly become... strained.

He was starting with the Pleiades because he was about 80% sure that the person he was looking for was among them. Who else could eavesdrop on the guardians and uncover their subterfuge without being caught? Certainly, none of the normal maids could've pulled it off, and most of the other NPC's sadly lacked the sentience to go through with such an independent and dangerous operation. There was always the possibility of multiple people being involved, but it's unlikely that there would've been many people who would volunteer to flagrantly oppose the guardians like that. And again, more people means more risk of being caught. So more than likely, there was a single brave individual, who specialized in stealth.

There was one person he suspected above all others, and she happened to be in this very room., right now. But he needed to confirm it—he needed to know who it was, because they were undoubtedly the most trustworthy person in all of Nazarick.

The plan was foolproof. It was only a matter of time before he knew for sure.

But he was hoping it was her.

...

The Pleiades fell into a contemplative silence, repeating the phrase in their minds over and over.

What were they missing? There had to be a trick to this nonsensical sentence. A riddle of some sort, perhaps?

"Hm..? Is something wrong..?" Ainz hummed after a few moments, wondering why none of them had started writing anything. Did they see through his lie, after all?! He began to feel nervous, and subtly wiped his sweaty palms against the sides of his robe.

"Er… it's not a trick question or anything. Just write the sentence, ahah..." he assured with a nervous laugh, but his distress only grew when he noticed Yuri's eyes narrow discerningly.

Ahhhh maybe the plan wasn't so foolproof after all! He really should've taken some extra time to just come up with a better explanation! As if writing this stupid little sentence could ever be a good enough test for the eligibility of some unspecified, non-existent position! What would he do if she called him out on it right now, or began interrogating him for details?! It was too late to leave, and too late to backpedal… he was trapped! If someone other than the one he was looking for figured out the reasoning behind this test and spread the news, it would nigh impossible to protect the informant's identity for long.

All he could do was try to act natural, and pray.

...

"..."

There has to be a trick to this! Yuri was sure of it now: the fact that he would even enforce the notion that there isn't suggests the opposite! No test conceived by the supreme one's unparalleled intellect could be so simple.

'I won't be fooled, I'll pass this test!' Yuri exclaimed triumphantly in her head, clenching her fist with conviction—something Ainz noticed in the corner of his meandering vision, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

'A political metaphor..?' Yuri thought, toying with the idea in her head: 'perhaps Nazarick is the 'quick brown fox'? Then that would make—'

Suddenly, she felt an elbow nudge her side, and a moment later, an arm wrap itself around her neck.

She turned to see Lupusregina with a devilish grin, and she felt a small piece of paper thrust inconspicuously into her hand.

With a frown, she unfolded it.

[Got any ideas?]

She looked back to Lupusregina, who was jutting her tongue out lamely.

The arm slung over her shoulders now felt like a snake coiling around her neck. Without a moment's hesitation, she crumpled the piece of paper and threw it indiscreetly over her shoulder.

Lupusregina opened her mouth as if to silently exclaim 'Wahhh!' before glancing nervously to the overlord, who luckily didn't seem to notice—he was busying himself with the whistling of a bland melody as he took a sudden interest in his chair's fabric (anything to appear casual and avoid any unveiling scrutiny).

The wolf sighed in relief, and Yuri rolled her eyes.

"Ainz-sama," a monotonous voice declared.

The overlord shook his head and blinked twice, returning to reality.

"What is it, CZ..?" he inquired, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple.

"I'm done," the tangerine-haired girl replied nonchalantly, extending the piece of paper out towards him.

"A-ah! Well done, CZ-san," the overlord commended, snatching the paper from the small girl with blinding speed.

He immediately began to study it, bringing a hand to his chin thoughtfully.

Yuri held her breath and watched him intently, trying to gauge his intense reaction.

"CZ, what did you write?" Yuri asked shamelessly, knowing full well that CZ did not possess the wits to actually solve such a confounding riddle. Certainly not that quickly, at least. (She did not have this thought with demeaning intentions, rather, as her older sister, Yuri was fully aware of the Delta Pleiades' limitations).

"I just did what he asked and wrote the sentence," CZ said apathetically, already reaching for the penguin plush she kept on her person at all times .

"I see, thank you…" Yuri replied absent-mindedly, eyes glued to the overlord.

!

Just then, Ainz-sama's lips had moved! But what did he say?! It had been said quietly, hardly even a mutter under his breath—but Yuri was sure she caught the words 'doesn't match'.

Finally, the supreme one cast the paper away and looked back up at CZ with a smile.

"Thank you CZ-san, well done," he congratulated in a tone that Yuri keenly detected to be slightly tinged with disappointment.

Of course, as she had expected: simply writing the sentence wasn't the answer he was looking for! The overlord was unfathomably intelligent—as if he would base his appointments of important positions on such a ridiculously easy and arbitrary test.

Though her assumption was confirmed, it didn't really help her. She hadn't the faintest clue where to begin. Looking around her, she saw Narberal and Solution with similarly distressed expressions. They must have come to the same conclusion as her. Entoma's expression was as unreadable as ever, but based on the stillness of her mandibles, she wasn't stressed. Lupusregina on the other hand was biting her nails, and by looking closely Yuri could almost see the trails of smoke billowing from her ears.

Poor girl.

"Here you go, Ainz-sama," Entoma suddenly announced, handing in her paper as well.

"Ah, very well," Ainz replied. As the sheet changed hands, Yuri managed to see what the insect maid had written: the same as CZ, the obvious answer—in other words, a blatant surrender as far as Yuri was concerned!

She wanted to slap her sisters upside the head for giving up so easily. They were reflections of the Pleiades as a whole, and they've just managed to paint themselves as fools in the overlord's eyes!

"Er, I don't mean to rush you all, but…" the overlord trailed off in a bassy voice as he straightened his posture. The fact that two of the girls had already handed in their paper without a hitch gave him the confidence to reassume his air of authority.

Yuri's eyes widened. She was taking too long!

"H-here, Ainz-sama!" Solution cried out, succumbing to the pressure and thrusting her sheet out towards him. He took it from her with a smile and gave it a single glance over, before offering a dismissive hum and an unconvincing 'well done'.

Solution bowed her head before slumping back in her seat defeatedly.

Moments later, Narberal discarded her pencil with a frustrated toss before handing in her paper as well.

"Forgive my stupidity, Ainz-sama!" she beseeched self-admonishingly.

The overlord's blinked incredulously, and he hesitated for a moment before tentatively reaching out to claim the paper from her hands. He read it over, and his brows furrowed in confusion.

"E-er… there's nothing to apologize for. You did as I asked, you may raise your head," he assured, waving his hand emphatically.

"You are too kind, Ainz-sama!"

Yuri was beginning to feel dizzy. It seemed that, with no offense to Lupusregina, she was the last hope to redeem the Pleiades' intellectual reputation.

"Hai, all done, Ainz-sama!" Lupusregina declared, beaming proudly. She flamboyantly thrust the paper towards Ainz, causing her chest to bounce in such a way that the unprepared overlord gagged on his own spit.

"Are you alright, Ainz-sama?" Lupusregina asked innocently, to which the overlord waved his hand dismissively and struggled to clear his throat.

"Y-yes! I-I'm fine! You just surprised me, that's all!"

"Surprised you..?" the dark-complexioned maid inquired with a tilt of her head, causing her chest to jiggle again.

"Nothing!" Ainz assured just a bit too loudly, quickly reaching for the maid's outstretched hand. But then—

_Bzzt!_

The two of them jumped in surprise and quickly retracted their hands when a static shock was transmitted from the supreme one's fingertips to her own as their hands brushed over one another.

They both watched as the sheet of paper that fluttered to the centre of the table between them, as it had fallen from Lupusregina's hand and failed to have been claimed by Ainz's amidst the chaos. (It was a very potent 'static' shock, you see).

The made and her sovereign looked back up at each other and shared an awkward laugh before simultaneously averting their gaze from one another.

'Was… he blushing?'

'Was… she blushing?'

They both shared an optimistic thought, neither daring to look back for confirmation.

No, surely it was only their imagination, they both concluded with a sobering shake of their head.

Luckily for the two of them, their embarrassing spectacle had gone unnoticed by the other Pleiades—Yuri was deep in thought, CZ was fixated on her stuffie, Narberal and Solution were both stewing in their own self-deprecating thoughts, and Etoma was eating something… unorthodox, by most standards.

After he felt his cheeks cool down again, and not wanting this inexplicably-intimate awkwardness to continue, Ainz finally reached for Lupusregina's answer.

...

Once she was sure his focus was on the paper, Lupusregina risked shooting a furtive glance his way—but her heart skipped a beat of panic and she reactively brought her hands up to cover her flushed cheeks as the overlord suddenly sat up, bringing the paper up closer to his face with an intense expression.

"This is…" he trailed off ominously, and Lupusregina's heart sank in realization.

Could it be..? No way!

She must have made a spelling mistake after all! Her gut had been telling her that 'leap' must have been spelled 'leep': if only she had listened to her instincts! Now she's exposed herself as a complete idiot to Ainz-sama!

Just as she began to fathom the repercussions of her error, the supreme one looked at her over the top of the sheet which otherwise concealed his face.

"Yes, I see…" he repeated in a strange tone and stoic expression that sent a shiver down Lupusregina's spine. By now, the other Pleiades' attention had been drawn by the supreme one's posture and long-lasting scrutiny of Lupusregina's answer.

Yuri, her paper still blank, began to open her mouth to apologize, sensing that her sister must have made a grave mistake somehow—but the words tumbled back down her throat as Ainz suddenly rose to his feet, leaving her and everyone else to stare in awe as his robes billowed behind him impressively.

"That will be all for now, thank you for your time. I am very grateful," he announced his departure before promptly turning around.

Perhaps it was just her feeling self-conscious, but Lupusregina was sure he had looked straight at her when he said that last part. Even if that was the case though, she was certain it couldn't possibly have been exclusively directed towards her; still, her chest tingled with a warmth that quickly spread up to her face.

"We will continue to serve you to the best of our abilities, Ainz-sama!" four maids—all except for the flustered pair of Alpha and Beta—replied in unison, bowing their heads towards the overlord's retreating back.

And just like that, he was gone. No sooner had the door shut behind him than Yuri whirled around and grabbed hold of Lupusregina's shoulders to give her a forceful shake.

"W-what did you write, that made him leave in such a hurry without even bothering to look at my answer?!" she wailed, fearing the worst.

"I… I don't know," the wolf answered with a vacuous expression as she stared at the chamber's door and replayed what had just transpired in her mind.

'I see…' he had said after receiving her answer, while the lower half of his face had been hidden behind the sheet of paper. Looking back on it now, she was almost certain, from the look in his eyes, that he had been smiling when he said that. Her chest suddenly began to ache anxiously.

...Maybe 'leap' was the correct spelling after all..?

...

"Did you get the answer you were looking for, Ainz-sama?" Sebas, who had been patiently waiting in the hallway, inquired as soon as Suzukiclosed the door to the maids' room behind him.

With a giddy expression, he withdrew a small card from his robe's inner pocket.

'**Not a suicide. It was the guardians of Nazarick' **it read.

He held it side by side with the newly acquired paper, and though it shouldn't have even been possible, his grin broadened even more.

There was no doubt about it. The handwriting was a perfect match. His hunch had been corrected. Deductive reasoning aside, he felt deep down that he always knew it had to have been her.

"Yes… yes I did, Sebas," he replied, glancing up at the butler, whose face was a self-contradictory mix of disinterest and amusement.

The overlord arched an eyebrow curiously.

"But from your expression… could it be that you already knew who had left the diary outside my door that day..?"

Sebas placed a hand over his heart and offered a lamely cordial smile.

The overlord groaned internally. So he had gone through with this elaborate handwriting-matching scheme for nothing?!

"Forgive me, Ainz-sama. I was only trying to respect Miss Lupusregina's choice to remain anonymous. Though if you had ordered me to tell you, I would have forfeit the information," he explained dutifully.

Suzuki sighed heavily. Of all the people who could've come to know the truth, he supposed Sebas was the least problematic.

"Well that's all fine and dandy, but I had no idea that you knew, so the thought of asking you hadn't even crossed my mind…" Ainz reasoned, too defeated to even bother asking how Sebas figured everything out.

"If it's any consolation, Ainz-sama, I think your plan was quite clever".

"Sebas, if I didn't know better, I'd say you were poking fun at me," Ainz said with a weary smile.

"I would never, Ainz-sama. Besides, even if I had told you who it was, would you have believed me?" the butler went on, determined to give reason to his master's careful plan.

"The fact that you would openly call your own trustworthiness into question tells me that I could have believed you".

"It pleases me to hear you say that, Ainz-sama. You are too forgiving," the butler pointed out with a solemn bow.

Ainz chuckled wistfully.

"That may be so... but only to those who are worthy of my forgiveness, Sebas. Only to those who are worthy…"

And with that, feeling quite fulfilled, the overlord took stride down the long hallway which lead towards the throne room.

"Come, Sebas: now that I have my answer and some peace of mind, there are some things I wish to discuss with you in private," he called out over his shoulder.

"As you wish, Ainz-sama," the butler replied, trying to conceal his delight as he caught up to his master's side. He was overjoyed to have been given the opportunity to start making amends for his mistakes so early. He was not sure why Ainz had extended his forgiveness to him before any of the other guardians, but the butler would surely not complain. He was sure that the overlord must have his reasons, and would extend his hand to the other lost souls when the time was right. If he ever got the chance, he would advocate for them if necessary.

For now however, he could only do his best.

...

As they walked in silence down the long hallway, Suzuki contemplated the man at his side.

Touch Me-san's creation… strong, dignified, good-hearted, humble, and naturally compassionate towards all life.

All those qualities together formed a very interesting personality that was tragically scarce within the walls of Nazarick.

Yes, Ainz was sure of it. Sebas would be a great king.


End file.
